Arsenal starlet Folarin Balogun is set to sign a pre-contract deal with a foreign club before leaving the Gunners for a free transfer next summer.
One of Arsenal’s most exciting academy talents, 19-year-old Balogun was due to leave the club last summer as he entered the final year of his contract, but Mikel Arteta was hoping to win over the forward to stay.
Balogun has secured five first-team appearances this season, scoring two goals and one assist in four Europa League appearances, but The Athletic say the teenager has not been convinced to extend his stay at the club.
He has failed to strike a deal with Arsenal and is instead set to pen a pre-contract deal to move overseas with a free transfer once his current contract expires at the end of the season. season.
Balogun and his representatives were not impressed with the conditions offered at Emirates Stadium, arguing that Arsenal have not confirmed what they have publicly said about wanting to keep the forward.
There are also concerns about his position in the first team. Despite Arsenal struggling in the league earlier in the season, Balogun has yet to even make a Premier League side and there are fears his career could end if he stays in the Emirates.
Arteta recently attacked Balogun’s agent, questioning whether he was actually acting in the player’s best interests.
“You need three parties to make a deal,” he said (via Goal). “Of course the club want to make a deal, the manager wants to make a deal, the player wants to stay and I’m not sure about the agent. I’m not saying he’s stopping, it’s that we have to find an agreement with him.
“We are negotiating with an agent, with a player who wants to stay at the club and we have to find an agreement.
A moment that Folarin Balogun will never forget?
His first goal for Arsenal in his second senior appearance!
Do they really like her look in the Emirates?#UEL pic.twitter.com/FpIwurBy3M
– Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) November 26, 2020
“I tell you that we are doing everything we can to keep him here and I hope that on the other side they are doing the same and in the same interest, which is the player’s interest, which is to stay at the football club and be successful with us.
In terms of potential landing sites for Balogun, no team is specifically mentioned, but the move overseas means that contenders like Liverpool and Southampton have clearly missed out.
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