Chelsea have been linked with a shock move to sign Arsenal youngster Folarin Balogun in the summer transfer window. His future at Arsenal remains up in the air , with a contract at the Emirates Stadium until 2025. The 22-year-old has only made 22 appearances for the Gunners, and has spent the last season and a half on loan away from the club.
Balogun was with Middlesbrough for the second half of the 2021/22 campaign, but came of age in the French league with Reims last term. Only Kylian Mbappe, Alexandre Lacazette and Jonathan David scored more goals in the French league than Balogun last season and the youngster will be looking to make an impression on Gunners boss Mikel ArtetA during pre-season to stake a claim for a place in the first team.
That is, if he stays in north London, of course. The Chelsea links have come from reports that the Blues have been in contact with the player's agent, according to FootballTransfers.com . Balogun delivered a cryptic message on social media last month when saying 'It's time' suggesting either a new contract or a move away from the club.
Nothing has happened since then though, with Arsenal slapping a £50million price tag on his shoulders, although football.london understands he is expected to leave this summer, with interest from a number of clubs. Mauricio Pochettino has already brought Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson to Stamford Bridge, adding much-needed firepower, but they are not averse to bringing in further reinforcements.
And were Pochettino to sign Balogun, he would be bringing his own Harry Kane to west London, without having to shell out the big money Spurs are demanding for their superstar striker .
According to research by the Athletic and smarterscout , Balogun has a 90.4% similarity to Kane based on their profiles. That is a higher percentage than any other player in the top five leagues in Europe. Liverpool's Darwin Nunez is second with an 89.4% similarity to Kane.