'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAMDAwMDAwQEBAQFBQUFBQcHBgYHBwsICQgJCAsRCwwLCwwLEQ8SDw4PEg8bFRMTFRsfGhkaHyYiIiYwLTA+PlQBAwMDAwMDBAQEBAUFBQUFBwcGBgcHCwgJCAkICxELDAsLDAsRDxIPDg8SDxsVExMVGx8aGRofJiIiJjAtMD4+VP/AABEIAAUACgMBIgACEQEDEQH/xABlAAEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABQcQAAEDBAIDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMBAhEABAUGEhMVITEBAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIFEQACAQQBBQAAAAAAAAAAAAABAgMABBETBQYhI0Gx/9oADAMBAAIRAxEAPwDJtP0PV87Z3WOfalCW3FelU7CrDlGNxWJ1/EjjC1CFjsgcTC+SenY1HR1M9Sk0pSt3Y7snPlPwVf6ghitoeE0osezio3cqMFmMrjJPs9q//9k='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Arsenal have reportedly set their asking price for Folarin Balogun, who is currently out on a season-long loan at Ligue 1 club Stade de Reims.
Balogun, 21, has been the talk of the town ever since he sealed a loan switch to Reims at the start of the ongoing 2022-23 campaign. He has been an instant success at his new club, scoring a club-high 16 goals and contributing two assists in 26 Ligue 1 appearances so far.
A right-footed poacher blessed with pace and positioning, the England U21 regular has popped up on a host of European clubs' radar due to his clinical outings. With Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah established at the Emirates, the Gunners are also keen to cash in on Balogun.
According to interlive.it, Arsenal have slapped a £35 million price tag on Balogun following his breakthrough season at the Stade Auguste Delaune. Serie A giants Inter and AC Milan are both interested in snapping up the Hale End youth product in the upcoming summer.
Both Milan clubs are keen to refresh their aging offensive ranks this summer with a busy window in sight. Edin Dzeko and Romelu Lukaku's futures are up in the air, while Zlatan Ibrahimovic is expected to depart.
Balogun, who joined the Gunners' youth setup in 2008, has scored just two goals in 209 minutes of first-team action for his boyhood club. But he is still held in extremely high regard by the coaching staff due to his 93-goal contributions in 103 matches for Arsenal's U21 and U18 sides.
Overall, Balogun has scored 17 goals in 28 games for Reims so far.
Reims manager lauds on-loan Arsenal star
Speaking to the Ligue 1 website, Reims manager Will Still lavished praise on Folarin Balogun for finding his feet so quickly in Ligue 1. He said:
"Away from the footballer, he's also a top human being. He's a clever kid because he's identified that he's going to come to France in a different culture, different language, different league, different football, and that he needs a team around him to be able to perform properly so he's settled in really quickly."
Pinpointing the Arsenal striker's commendable qualities, Still added:
"He has all the qualities to be a top striker because his all-round game is impressive. He's technically very clean and tidy, he can play back-to-goal, he can run deep and his occupation of space and his timing of runs are interesting. The sky is the limit for him."
