Folarin Balogun has emerged as one of the most sought-after forwards in the post-World Cup market, with Monaco receiving interest from clubs across Europe and the player reported to be keen on a fresh challenge. Any sale could become the second-highest for a U.S. player, behind only Christian Pulisic\u2019s $73 million switch to Chelsea in 2019.<\/p>\n
The forward\u2019s profile suits several different needs. Arsenal represent a natural fit. Balogun came through Arsenal \u2019s academy but was sold without ever really getting a chance in the first team. Two goals in just 209 senior minutes was impressive but Balogun left with a sense of unfinished business with the Gunners. Arsenal spent big on Viktor Gy\u00f6keres last summer but ended the season with Kai Havertz as their starting striker, leaving many believing manager Mikel Arteta may not be entirely satisfied with the options available to him. Bringing Balogun, a homegrown talent, back to the club would be a great move for Arsenal, although whether the 24-year-old would accept such a move without a guarantee of regular starts is a different matter. He has, however, spoken glowingly about the opportunity to be closer to family on brief returns to London.<\/p>\n
Chelsea remain a potential suitor despite a crowded forward line. Jo\u00e3o Pedro has been an excellent addition, but Liam Delap\u2019s time at Stamford Bridge has been a massive disappointment and could be coming to an end this summer. Returning loanee Nicolas Jackson and new signing Emmanuel Emegha add to a bloated forward line. Much will depend on the opinion of new manager Xabi Alonso, who has been given significant influence in Chelsea\u2019s transfer dealings after agreeing to replace Liam Rosenior.<\/p>\n
Newcastle could offer minutes and resources. Last summer the Magpies spent heavily on strikers, bringing in Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa for around $164 million (\u00a3124 million), yet Eddie Howe quickly lost faith in both and is thought to be chasing another starting striker.<\/p>\n
Juventus face turnover up front after a mixed window. Jonathan David was solid at best, Lo\u00efs Openda is available following a triggered purchase clause, and Du\u0161an Vlahovi\u0107 could depart, creating room for change and a link-up with international teammate McKennie.<\/p>\n
Finally, Borussia Dortmund\u2019s record of developing forwards and the chance to capitalise on World Cup momentum make them an appealing option. Across these five destinations, Balogun\u2019s next move will hinge on Monaco\u2019s valuation and the guarantees each club can offer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Balogun linked with Arsenal, Chelsea, Newcastle, Juventus or Dortmund as transfer interest grows….<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15196,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[192,1523,190,1362,194,172],"tags":[1446,983,1162],"class_list":["post-15197","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arsenal","category-borussia-dortmund","category-chelsea","category-juventus","category-newcastle-united","category-epl","tag-academy","tag-agents","tag-analytics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15197","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15197"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15197\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15196"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15197"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15197"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15197"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}