Folarin Balogun’s medical is scheduled to take place this weekend, according to reports that Monaco and Arsenal have reached a complete agreement regarding the striker’s transfer.
While on loan from the Emirates to Reims last season, the 22-year-old had a breakthrough season in senior football, scoring 21 goals in 37 Ligue 1 appearances for Will Still’s team.
Prior to making his Stars and Stripes debut in June against bitter rivals Mexico, Balogun had a busy time on the international stage, where he swore allegiance to the USA.
The forward is about to depart North London after appearing in just 10 games for the Gunners and scoring twice during a two-and-a-half-year stint on the club’s fringes of the first team.
Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano claims that in the final days of the summer transfer window, Arsenal and Monaco have reached an agreement for the long-term transfer of Balogun to Ligue 1.
According to the report, Rouges et Blancs will offer the former Middlesbrough loanee a €40 million (£34 point 3 million) package, including add-ons, as Adi Hutter’s team looks to seriously challenge Paris Saint-Germain for the title this season.
It’s believed that Balogun will finish the required medical exams this weekend in France, and if everything goes according to plan, the striker’s arrival at the club will be announced.
In the deal for the forward, Mikel Arteta’s team reportedly included a sizeable sell-on clause, putting the North Londoners in line to receive a sizeable windfall should the player move on in the future.
Earlier this month, there was speculation that Balogun’s London rivals Chelsea might join the race, with some reports claiming that they had spoken to the Gunners about a potential transfer.
Over the past two weeks, Tottenham Hotspur has also been linked to the American international as the Lilywhites look to bolster their forward line in the wake of Harry Kane’s transfer to Bayern Munich.
Balogun is expected to return to Ligue 1, where he only finished behind Kylian Mbappe, Alexandre Lacazette, and Jonathan David in the 2022–23 Golden Boot race, despite interest from England.
Considering that Wissam Ben Yedder, a Frenchman, and Breel Embolo, a Swiss international, will be out until next year with cruciate ligament damage, the 22-year-old will look to create a dangerous partnership with Ben Yedder in Monaco’s attack.
With seven points from their first three games against Clermont, Strasbourg, and Nantes, Hutter’s team is currently leading the Ligue 1 standings.
On September 2, when Monaco hosts Lens at the Stade Louis II Stadium in an attempt to extend their unbeaten streak to four games, Balogun could make his club debut.
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