Arsenal forward ‘open to joining Chelsea’

Chelsea will be looking to secure their first win of the Premier League season when they welcome Luton Town to Stamford Bridge on Friday. 

The Blues drew 1-1 against Liverpool in their season opener at Stamford Bridge, before slumping to a 3-1 defeat against London rivals West Ham United on Sunday.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side were wasteful in front of goal at the London Stadium, most notably when midfielder Enzo Fernandez saw his first-half penalty saved.

With that in mind, the West London outfit are looking to add firepower to their front line, and it appears that one of their targets could be open to the idea of a move to Stamford Bridge.

As per The Evening Standard, Arsenal forward Folarin Balogun would be interested in a move across London to join Chelsea, who have added him to their list of targets.

Balogun would reportedly be open to the idea of joining Chelsea

The report claims that the Blues have registered their interest in the 22-year-old, who hasn’t featured for Mikel Arteta’s side so far this season.

Balogun is a product of Arsenal’s youth academy and was prolific for the Gunners at both under-18 and under-21 level, but he has struggled to make an impact in the first team.

He has made just ten senior appearances for Arsenal’s senior side, and was loaned to French club Reims last summer.

During his time in France, Balogun scored 22 goals in 39 matches across all competitions, prompting speculation that he could be reintroduced to Arteta’s first team setup.

That doesn’t appear to be the case, though, as the US international has been left out of the squad for each of their three matches so far this season.

The report claims that the young forward would be interested in a move to Stamford Bridge, but it remains to be seen whether or not Arsenal would sell the player to one of their biggest rivals.

Chelsea’s West London neighbours Fulham are also said to be interested in the American as they look to replace Alexander Mitrovic, who departed to join Al-Hilal last week.