Arsenal forward Folarin Balogun could have a similar impact to William Saliba in the summer, CBS reporter Ben Jacobs has told GIVEMESPORT.
The young striker has been in sensational form out on loan at Reims this season.
Football Insider have claimed that multiple Premier League clubs are interested in signing Balogun in the summer transfer window.
Reports in Italy have suggested that the Gunners will demand in the region of £35m for Balogun, with Italian side AC Milan another club considering a move for the England youth international.
Evening Standard journalist Simon Collings has suggested that Arsenal are ‘very aware’ of the progress being made by Balogun at the moment. Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, he said: “I think he can play anywhere across that forward line, which again, helps, but I think that’ll be one for the summer where all parties sit down and decide what they want to do. Arsenal are very aware of what he’s doing in France, and it hasn’t gone unnoticed at the club.”
What has Jacobs said about Balogun?
Jacobs has suggested that Balogun could make a similar impact on his return to the club to the one Saliba made last summer.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, he said: “From Arsenal’s perspective, they’re going to assess in pre-season, where I expect Balogun to feature heavily and get a lot of game time.
“Then it could well transpire a little bit similar to Saliba, that if the player returns and hits the ground running, he will get a fair amount of game time. But, Arsenal have got a fair amount of competition in the striker department, so that’s the only caveat here.
“As good as Balogun’s form has been, they’ve ultimately got a lot of options and therefore, Balogun has to understand whether next season is his breakthrough at Arsenal, how many games he’s going to play or whether it’s more beneficial to go out on another loan.”
How has Balogun performed this season?
Balogun is currently sitting joint third in the Ligue 1 top goalscorer charts, ahead of both Lionel Messi and Neymar.
The young Arsenal loanee has scored 17 goals in 25 games this campaign, averaging a goal every 130 minutes.
Balogun is averaging a Sofascore rating of 7.02 in the league this term, managing 7 big chances created and 3.2 shots per game.
Whether the 21-year-old can perform to this level in the Premier League remains to be seen, but there’s no doubt he has a bright future ahead of him.
Source: Givemesport