Arsenal out-of-favor striker Folarin Balogun has emerged as the front-runner to complete the Inter frontline for next season. As per Gazzetta dello Sport, the United States international has leapfrogged Atletico Madrid’s Alvaro Morata on Beppe Marotta’s shortlist.
Balogun has fallen out of the picture at Arsenal despite his stellar season-long loan at Reims in 2022/23. The Gunners have put the USMNT striker up for sale. However, he won’t go cheap, with Mikel Arteta’s side slapping a substantial €40 million price tag on the young gun.
Inter would ideally sign Balogun on loan with an option to buy. But that’s not a suitable formula for Arsenal. They must raise funds from player sales after a massive summer spending, having coughed out around €200m to sign Declan Rice, Jurrieb Timber, and Kai Havertz.
Morata was the first name on the Italians’ wishlist after Romelu Lukaku’s return to Giuseppe Meazza collapsed. That hypothesis is no longer acceptable for Inter, given the player’s age and huge wage demands. Balogun isn’t a much cheaper alternative.
But he is eight years younger than Morata. That would offer Inter a significant resale value, not to mention the Arsenal outcast displayed a much more impressive form last season. His arrival remains complicated, though.
Unless Inter can find common ground with the Premier League side, Udinese’s Beto could be a viable solution for Simone Inzaghi. The towering striker has excelled in Serie A in the past two years. And he won’t cost nearly as much as the other two Nerazzurri targets.
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