Arsenal are reportedly considering selling Ligue 1 top scorer Folarin Balogun as they weigh up his future at the club.
Balogun, 21, has been in stunning form on loan at Reims, leading the Golden Boot race with 14 goals in 21 games, ahead of Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi.
Balogun has been in incredible form in France
But his path could be blocked back at Arsenal
The young striker has been one of the stories of the season in European football, but is heading towards a career crossroads with 18 months left on his Arsenal contract.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta reportedly rejected an approach from Reims to sign Balogun permanently in January, but they will be left with a decision to make at the end of the season.
If Arsenal allow the New York-born forward to enter the final year of his contract, he could end up leaving for free, but the flip side is there may not be room for him in their squad.
Summer signing from Manchester City, Gabriel Jesus, has shone leading the line this season, while Eddie Nketiah has made a good effort to prove himself as a reliable back-up.
Both of the centre forwards clearly have a long-term future at the club, which may not be the case for Balogun, according to reports.
The Sun claim Arsenal are most likely to allow Balogun to prove himself for the first half of the season, but there are fears his value could drop off dramatically if he fails to live up to expectations back in England.
Balogun has two goals in 10 games for Arsenal
His manager at Reims, British-Belgian coach Will Still, recently joined talkSPORT to discuss the striker, and was full of praise.
“He’s brilliant, he’s absolutely brilliant, and I’m not just talking about the player, I’m talking about the human being behind it all as well,” he said.
“He’s totally adapted to the environment he’s come into and I think a lot of English players and coaches struggle to go abroad.
“Balo’s just identified that he’s here to develop himself and he’s here to settle into the club and that’s what he’s doing.
“He’s accepted the people around him and he’s working incredibly hard for the team and he’s obviously got an incredible amount of ability.
“He’s a top all round striker and he’s now I think top scorer in the league and full credit goes to him as he’s managed to adapt as a person and a player in a very quick fashion.”
SOURCE: talksport.com
