AC Milan revive interest in Arsenal star after red-hot form: Reports
According to the Daily Mail, AC Milan have re-ignited their interest in Arsenal loanee Folarin Balogun after his red-hot form for Ligue 1 side Stade de Reims. Balogun came up through the Gunners' youth academies before his loan move to France.
The 21-year-old is currently Ligue 1's top scorer with 14 goals. He has outshone Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) superstars Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Kylian Mbappe.
AC Milan had an interest in the player when he was in the Gunners' youth teams. The New York-born English striker has made only two senior appearances for the north London-based club.
Balogun, however, has shown his quality for Reims this season. In 23 games, the England under-21 star has scored 15 goals and provided two assists. His rich vein of form has prompted the Rossoneri to monitor the player's situation.
Folarin Balogun has scored 54% of Reims' goals -- only Fran Navarro has contributed to a higher percentage of his team's goals this season in Europe's top 10 leagues, per @playmaker_pt. https://t.co/qebMAQ8Ciy
Arsenal might look to cash in on the player once he returns from the loan spell. A decision on his future is yet to be made. Considering Balogun still has time remaining on his contract with the Premier League leaders, they might look to cash in on the opportunity and sell Balogun.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta hails 'incredible' Folarin Balogun
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta showered praise on Folarin Balogun for his stunning form. Speaking ahead of the Gunners' Premier League clash against Brentford, Arteta told the media (via the Gunners' official website):
“I’m so happy for him, He’s a boy that has a really clear idea of what he wants to do with his career. He’s really ambitious, really committed and really brave.
"We discussed a lot before he made that move whether it was the right place to go and the other choices he had. He was so convinced. I’m really happy for him because he deserves what he’s getting."
Speaking about the faith the Gunners have shown in Balogun, Arteta added:
“When you look at the numbers and what he is doing, it’s just incredible. It’s very rare to see that. But he’s got something special, that’s why we decided to give him a long-term contract and have faith in him and give him the long period that he needs now, because the loan he is having now is really different to the one he had before at Middlesbrough."
The Spaniard gave further insight into Balogun's development, adding:
“He had some scars from that period. There were moments when he suffered, moments when he played, and when he didn’t. Moments when he played in what he believes is not his best position.
"He threw all those excuses out and went into the next experience. He put that behind him, but using exactly what worked for him, what didn’t work, looked in the mirror and moved to the next one. He’s done that really, really well.”
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🤯 With 14 goals, #Ligue1UberEats top scorer @Balogun has bagged over half of @StadeDeReims' total this season!
We're all livin' in 𝐹𝑜𝓁𝒶𝓇𝒾𝓃'𝓈 𝓌𝑜𝓇𝓁𝒹 🌍
#Ligue1UberEats | @OptaJoe twitter.com/VDJLYON/status… https://t.co/uwfBHsIThH
Balogun will be in action on Sunday as Reims host Troyes in Ligue 1.