Chelsea have agreed personal terms with Arsenal striker Folarin Balogun and the two clubs are locked in talks trying to come to an agreement over the fee, according to Football Transfers.
Balogun is currently one of the most sought-after forwards in the world following his impressive goal-scoring exploits at Reims last season. He banged in 22 goals and recorded three assists in 39 matches across all competitions as Reims finished 11th in the Ligue 1 table.
The USA international has just two years remaining on his contract with Arsenal and it’s believed that he’s not part of Mikel Arteta’s first team plans for the season.
Balogun wants regular first team football, something he won’t get in North London as he’s behind Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz, and Eddie Nketiah in the pecking order, so he’s expected to leave this month.
Arsenal dismissed Monaco’s formal offer earlier in the summer as it fell well short of the North Londoners valuation of the striker. Football Transfers claims the Gunners want £50m for their young star.
The situation has alerted several clubs throughout Europe with Chelsea the latest to be linked. The report says the Blues have now agreed personal terms with Balogun and are locked in talks with Arsenal trying to agree a deal.
Standing firm
However, Football Transfers says Chelsea are not willing to pay Arsenal’s £50m asking price and want to agree a fee closer to £30m. It’s unlikely the Gunners will lower their valuation for a close rival such as Chelsea, so there is still a long way to go before a deal is agreed.
Chelsea have already brought in two forwards this summer following the arrival of Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku to bolster their squad, however, the latter has been ruled out of action for several months after undergoing surgery on his injured knee.
Jackson is currently the Blues’ sole striker with academy graduate Armando Broja yet to be included in the match-day squad after missing the club’s first two games of the new season.
The West Londoners have scored only two goals this season and none has been scored by an attacker, therefore, Mauricio Pochettino is in the market to sign another forward signing.
Balogun is firmly on their radar but it remains to be seen whether they’ll be able to agree a deal with Arsenal for the 22-year-old this summer.
Read more: Report: Chelsea submit bid to sign 6ft 4in star after opening formal transfer talks
