15 July 2023 , 11:19
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Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has hinted that Folarin Balogun will be sold this summer after the forward delivered an ultimatum.
Balogun spent last season on loan at Stade de Reims, scoring 21 goals in 38 appearances in all competitions for the French club. And the 22-year-old told Arteta to either play him or sell him last month when asked about his future while on international duty with the USA.
"I'm not sure [about] the discussions that are going to take place," Balogun said. "I'm not sure what's going to happen. But I'm just committed to now; I try to stay present. I obviously want to enjoy the moment with my team and my family.
"What I can say is that I definitely won't go on loan again. Contractually I have to go back [to Arsenal ]. Because the loan was only for one year so that was always the agreement. But I'm not sure what is going to happen in the future.
"A lot could happen in football, a lot could change, and it just depends on the conversations we have between me and the club in the summer, and we'll see what happens. There's no door that's closed."
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Balogun has been linked with a host of clubs, including Chelsea, Crystal Palace, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Napoli and RB Leipzig. However, he has returned to Arsenal and featured in their recent pre-season friendly against Nurnberg on Friday.
Balogun came off the bench for the final half hour and almost scored a winner for the Gunners as he rounded the goalkeeper before rattling the post. Arsenal ultimately drew 1-1 and when asked about Balogun's future following the game, Arteta pointedly remarked that he was "staying here with us at the moment".
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Folarin Balogun featured in Arsenal's pre-season friendly against Nurnberg amid heavy speculation over his future (Getty Images)Arteta said: "Well this is what he has been doing and that's why we gave him the minutes that he deserves to show what he can do. He's just staying here with us at the moment and we will see what happens."
Reflecting on the draw, Arteta added: "There are a lot of positive things that we can take, especially the way we played in the first half – the tempo, the composure, the commitment that we showed. We had some big chances to score more goals at the end, and mistakes are a part of football because they haven't given much to be fair, but it was great to see our young players playing as well and doing really well in an environment that is challenging.
"We only had three training sessions with the majority of this group and the boys that played only 45 minutes, it was the maximum for some of them – it was more than enough. We picked up a few injuries which we want to avoid, so let’s go week by week now."