Game over for Arsenal attacking weapon as Edu tells agent to listen to five Prem offers after setting price

Arsenal have made their decision to move Folarin Balogun on this summer after his loan spell with Reims, which has caught the attention of five Premier League clubs, according to reports.

Balogun scored more goals than any other Arsenal player this season – although it wasn’t for Mikel Arteta’s side. Indeed, his 22 goals came within a loan spell at Reims. It was a far more productive spell than his previous loan at Middlesbrough.

Now, Balogun is ready to take the next step of his career. He is unwilling to return to Arsenal without guarantees of regular gametime and has made it clear he won’t be leaving on loan again.

Indeed, according to 90min, Balogun has rejected the offer to extend his contract at Arsenal, who may have been planning another temporary exit for him.

In turn, Edu and his transfer team at Arsenal have told Balogun’s agent to step up their search for a new club for the striker.

There are only two years remaining on Balogun’s contract with Arsenal. Therefore, this might be the best time to cash in on him while his stock is high.

As for his next destination, 90min claims Balogun is of interest to Brentford, Crystal Palace, Everton, Fulham and West Ham. All of those other than Everton would enable him to stay in London.

The clubs in question are all said to have made contact about signing Balogun already. Further afield, the report has highlighted interest from Lille in Ligue 1 and RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga.

Arsenal aiming for windfall above £30m for Balogun

The idea of Balogun leaving Arsenal has also been backed up by Football Insider, which has claimed their asking price is around £35m.

That information seems to correlate with what 90min has been revealing; their report suggested a price tag above £30m.

Balogun is an Arsenal academy product, so anything they make on him is profit. He has only ever been able to make 10 appearances for their first team, scoring twice.

Just two of his Arsenal appearances have come in the Premier League, but he may yet get the opportunity to prove himself in the top flight with another club next season.

Brentford need cover up front while Ivan Toney is suspended, while Everton’s main centre-forward Dominic Calvert-Lewin only scored twice this season.

West Ham, meanwhile, were left disappointed by Gianluca Scamacca in his debut season and the flop forward has been linked with a return to Serie A.

Therefore, there could be bigger roles waiting for Balogun at some of those destinations. West Ham would also be able to offer him European football after their Conference League success qualified them for the Europa League next season.

READ MORE: Arsenal aim to beat West Ham to Rice replacement with £30m bid to seal signing of Newcastle target