Arsenal fans have seen glimpses of Folarin Balogun’s great skills in our Europa League games this season, and he has been hotly tipped to be a superstar striker in the future. The bad news is that it seems that the Gunners have not been able to persuade the 19 year old to extend his contract, although he has been with the club since he was 10 years old.
It was reported that Sheffield United tried to buy Balogun in the summer, but Arteta decided to keep him at the Emirates and try to persuade him to stay. When Arteta gave Balogun his senior debut against Dundalk, the boss told the Mail: ‘He’s a player that I really like,’
‘Obviously I’ve got this situation and I believe it’s later than what I would like because I wasn’t here when everything started to develop, but yes, he’s a player that I would like to give chances to.
‘That’s why he was in the squad today and I showed him that yes, we count on him and we believe in him and if he wants, he’s going to have a future in the club.’
But there is now little chance of any contract being agreed, and on January 1st, the youngster can start talking to foreign clubs, with a few Bundesliga clubs reported to be keen.
The Arsenal oracle David Ornstein has now told the Athletic that Arsenal are still talking to his agent, but they are very far from a resolution and Balogun is set to leave as a free agent.