Arsenal reject £30 million bid for forward

Arsenal welcome Nottingham Forest to The Emirates in their first match of the Premier League season on Saturday. 

The Gunners topped the table for much of last season before ultimately finishing second, and manager Mikel Arteta will be hoping that his side can go one better this time around.

The Spaniard has been backed during the current transfer window, with the Gunners signing Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber for a combined fee in excess of £200 million.

The trio will undoubtedly bolster Arteta’s squad ahead of the upcoming campaign, but it appears that Arsenal could soon lose one of their young stars.

As per 90min, the North London outfit have rejected an offer from French side Monaco for forward Folarin Balogun.

The report claims that the Ligue 1 side have tabled a £30 million bid for the USA international, but Arsenal have rejected the offer as it doesn’t meet their valuation.

Balogun, 22, is a product of Arsenal’s youth academy but has only made ten senior appearances for the club, scoring twice and providing one assist.

Balogun previously represented England at youth level before switching allegiance to the USA

The American, who recently switched his international allegiance from England to USA, spent last season on loan in France with Stade Reims and enjoyed a breakthrough campaign.

The forward netted 22 times in 39 matches across all competitions, including 21 goals in 37 Ligue 1 games.

Despite rejecting Monaco’s offer, Arsenal are reportedly expecting the forward to leave The Emirates this summer and have put a £50 million price tag on the player.

Balogun has refused to enter into talks over a new contract and is also against the idea of spending the upcoming season on loan elsewhere, the report claims.

The player’s current contract with Arsenal is set to expire in the summer of 2025, but it appears increasingly unlikely that he will still be at the club by then.