Sheffield United remain in talks with Arsenal over academy striker Folarin Balogun, holding positive discussions with the fellow Premier League club.
YorkshireLive report that Sheffield United are continuing their talks with Arsenal to sign Folarin Balogun this week. United CEO Stephen Bettis is in communication with Vinai Venkatesham and Edu over a move, holding ‘positive discussions’.
Arsenal are open to offers and have made their demands clear to Bettis. United are hopeful of an agreement with Chris Wilder putting pressure on the board to make it happen.
The Beautiful Game Podcast report that Folarin Balogun is still ‘extremely unlikely’ to sign a new contract at Arsenal.
There’s also little chance of a buy-back clause in the player’s contract when he leaves. Instead, he’s going to move on in a permanent deal to the highest bidder.
Sheffield United kicked things off with a £3m bid, which Arsenal rejected. English clubs Crystal Palace, Southampton, Brighton and Brentford are all in for him, with the latter two showing the strongest interest. He also has strong admirers in Germany.
None of this should be surprising, but Arsenal fans continue to fall for Balogun’s vague social media posts and assume he’s starting the next game or signing a new deal, over and over again.
In reality, it’s just his social media team making sure they keep the spotlight on their client. It’s a shame he didn’t want to extend with Arsenal, but it’s time to come to terms with that fact. It’s just a matter of getting the best price for him now.