Folarin Balogun in action for Arsenal. Copyright: INPHO/Tommy Dickson AL6I4864
According to The Athletic (h/t Mirror), Liverpool are planning to swoop in for Folarin Balogun on a free transfer. The youngster will see his contract at Arsenal expire in the summer and there has been no progress regarding any contract extension.
Born in New York, Folarin Balogun moved to England with his family at the age of two and joined Arsenal’s youth system when he was just 10 years old. He caught the eye with his rapid progress through the ranks, featuring in the U-18 Premier League for the first time during the 2016-17 season.
Balogun boasts an eye-watering record of 38 goals in 41 U-18 Premier League games for the Gunners. He featured sporadically for the U-23 side in the Premier League 2 during the 2017-18 and 2018-19 campaigns but made a big impact at that level last term, bagging 10 goals and 4 assists in just 15 appearances.
The 19-year-old has represented both England and the United States across youth levels. He recently made his senior debut for Arsenal in the Europa League game against Dundalk and impressed everyone with his performance. So far, he has made 5 appearances for the senior side, scoring twice and assisting once.
Folarin Balogun is very highly rated and is just 19. He has scored goals after goals for the Arsenal U18 and U23 teams. His performances for the Under-23s have been top notch and that led to him being called up to the first-team on a few occasions. He is arguably one of the better strikers Arsenal have produced in their academy.
Liverpool have had a knack for developing young players and then selling them for huge money. The likes of Jordon Ibe, Dominic Solanke and Rhian Brewster come to mind. Even at this point Liverpool don’t exactly need another forward but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t pursue Balogun.
They can easily keep him for a few years and see if he works out well for the first-team and if not, they can try to move him on for a decent fee. This transfer is a win-win situation for Liverpool in every possible way. There is still time for Arsenal to tie him down to a new contract but it would be a very smart coup for Liverpool to snap up the youngster.