Inter Milan are set to step up their pursuit of Folarin Balogun in the next few days, according to a report.
Italian outlet Gazzetta report that Inter Milan will intensify their contact over the potential signing of Folarin Balogun in the coming days.
Gazzetta claim Inter have pulled out of the race for Alvaro Morata, and the choice for a centre-forward signing is now limited to Balogun and Beto of Udinese.
The same outlet suggests a fee of at least €40m would be required to sign Balogun, plus “particularly expensive” agent fees, and that cost is causing the current delays.
Tuttosport and Corriere dello Sport had also recently claimed Inter were focusing on Balogun over Morata.
CBS Sports previously reported that Inter were ready to test Arsenal with a €40m bid, but they haven’t formally submitted it yet.
According to CBS, Arsenal have a £50m valuation on Balogun, so Inter’s bid (which equates to £34.6m) is likely to fall well short.
The Gunners know that Balogun also has admirers in the Premier League, including Brighton, Crystal Palace, and West Ham United, so they don’t want to rush him out the door for the first offer.
On top of the valuation gap, there were also some claims that Inter were trying to structure the deal as an initial loan with an obligation to buy.
But after investing heavily this summer, Arsenal are presumably hoping to raise funds through sales now, not in 12 months’ time.
For the time being, Balogun is out injured, training separately from the main Arsenal group.