Inter Milan are seemingly pulling out of the race to sign Folarin Balogun, hoping to complete a cheaper deal for West Ham United’s Gianluca Scamacca instead.

Fabrizio Romano reports that Inter Milan have currently halted talks over the signing of Folarin Balogun, as they consider the Arsenal striker to be too expensive.

Inter are instead choosing to focus on a deal for Gianluca Scamacca, with West Ham United turning down their first bid but the Serie A side set to submit a new one.

Romano had previously reported that Balogun was Inter’s priority target, and talks had taken place over a transfer. But Inter were always a way off Arsenal’s asking price.

Matteo Moretto confirms that official talks are underway between Inter and West Ham, with the Italian side advancing towards a deal for Scamacca.

CBS Sports previously reported that Inter were ready to test Arsenal for Balogun with a €40m (£34m) bid, but Arsenal had a £50m valuation on the striker.

The Gunners know that Balogun also has admirers in the Premier League, including Brighton, Crystal Palace, and West Ham United.

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. That has further complicated the situation, with Mikel Arteta unable to get much of a look at the 22-year-old in match scenarios.

Balogun scored 22 goals on loan with Stade de Reims last season, making 39 appearances in all competitions.