Arsenal star ‘asks’ Edu to ‘drop’ £50m asking price as West Ham join Inter, AC Milan in transfer race | OneFootball

Arsenal forward Folarin Balogun during a friendly match against MLS All Stars.

Folarin Balogun reportedly feels Arsenal are pricing him out of a summer transfer amidst interest from Serie A giants Inter.

The American international spent last season on loan at French club Stade Reims, scoring a very impressive 22 goals in 39 appearances.

This has seen his valuation skyrocket after struggling to break into the Gunners’ first team.

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He has returned to London this summer and has been given some minutes in pre-season, though it is clear he is below Eddie Nketiah and Gabriel Jesus in Mikel Arteta’s pecking order.

Even if some fans disagree, a sale is the best outcome for Arsenal and Balogun.

However, the Premier League club reportedly want as much as £50million for the 22-year-old, which interested clubs are reluctant to pay.

There is plenty of interest from Italy, where clubs are notoriously skint, with Inter and AC Milan both pursuing the player.

And transfer expert Ben Jacobs has claimed “Balogun feels Arsenal have added £10m extra to fee and it’s pricing him out the market” and has “asked” the club to “drop their asking price”.

Jacobs adds that Inter believe £45m is “too high” and are now chasing West Ham’s Gianluca Scamacca as an alternative, although Balogun is not “entirely ruled out”.

If £45m is deemed too pricey, the Nerazzurri will not be pleased to learn some figures at Arsenal want closer to £50m; an amount they think is “more than fair” following his 2022/23 campaign with Will Still’s Reims.

Interestingly, Jacobs says we should “keep an eye on West Ham” who “like” the young striker but have not yet made an approach.

A number of Premier League clubs have “enquired” about Balogun’s availability, it is added.

Arsenal director of football Edu Gaspar has a reputation for struggling to get high fees for players, so this sort of heel-digging is pleasing to see for Arsenal fans.

Meanwhile, Balogun’s compatriot at the Emirates, Auston Trusty, is set to join Premier League rivals Sheffield United in a permanent deal.

and journalist Ryan Taylor claimed on Tuesday evening that Trusty will join the Blades for £5m.

Taylor says this is “viewed as superb business” without specifying who it is a good deal for. He adds that the centre-back ‘was identified following consultation with Colorado Rapids’ – who have the same owners as Arsenal and ‘was valued at $1.5m (£1.17m) in 2021’, which hints he is referring to Arsenal.

Like Balogun, Trusty enjoyed a productive loan spell last season, playing for Championship outfit Birmingham City.

The news has also been confirmed by Fabrizio Romano, who says United and the Gunners have agreed a deal worth £5m.

£5m is a pretty low fee all things considered and although there is no mention of this, you have to assume Arsenal have included some sort of clause, whether it be a buy-back or one that involves a percentage of a future sale.