West Ham are frontrunners for a mega money deal with Arsenal to land the statement signing of striker Folarin Balogun claims a new report.
Transfer dealings between West Ham and Arsenal may not be over in the summer transfer window.
As Arsenal look to pear down their striker options, West Ham are trying to beef theirs up following the sale of Gianluca Scamacca.
And that could see a second big deal done between the Hammers and the Gunners following the £105m British record transaction over Declan Rice.
West Ham have been heavily linked with a move for Arsenal striker Folarin Balogun in recent months.
According to the likes of Football.London, West Ham have been showing genuine interest in bringing talented Gunners ace Balogun to the London Stadium from Arsenal.
West Ham frontrunners for mega money deal with Arsenal to land statement signing of striker Folarin Balogun – report
And is it any wonder after the 22-year-old US international shone on loan at Reims last season, scoring 22 goals in 39 appearances.
West Ham were encouraged by a coy response on Balogun’s Arsenal future from Mikel Arteta during pre-season.
With Balogun slipping further down the Arsenal pecking order due to the arrival of Kai Havertz – and having made it clear he does not want to go out on another loan – West Ham have been alerted to his availability.
There were further positive signs for the Hammers when Arteta left Balogun out of his squad completely for the friendly against Monaco, which Football.London claimed was due to the transfer speculation surrounding him.
And the Arsenal boss reassured clubs interested in Balogun – like West Ham – that an injury to Gabriel Jesus will not change the striker’s chances of leaving the Emirates.
According to a report from talkSPORT, West Ham have made a direct request to Arsenal to be kept informed about the talented striker’s situation in the summer transfer window.
Earlier this week we reported on Hammers News claims from France that West Ham have held talks with Balogun over a potential move.
Hammers get major boost by Gunners’ rejection of main competitors Monaco
However, it was pointed out that so too had Monaco and Lens.
But now West Ham are frontrunners for a mega money deal with Arsenal to land the statement signing of striker Balogun.
That’s according to new reports from The Independent and The Mirror this morning.
The Independent claims West Ham and Monaco are the ‘main competitors’ to sign Balogun from Arsenal.
And in a major boost for David Moyes’ hopes, The Mirror states that the Gunners have rejected Monaco’s advances as they cannot meet the striker’s £40m plus valuation.
Both reports state that Arteta is willing to sell and The Independent says staying in the Premier League is attractive to the USA forward.