Everton have submitted an offer for Monaco forward Folarin Balogun as the Premier League club looks to bolster its attacking options before Tuesday's transfer deadline, according to reports.
The French club value the 25-year-old United States international at £40m, and it remains unclear whether Everton's proposal will be sufficient to convince Monaco to sanction a sale before the window closes.
Balogun has emerged as one of two priority targets for the Toffees in the final days of the transfer period, with Tottenham Hotspur's Richarlison also under consideration. However, the Brazilian forward is understood to have reservations about a return to Goodison Park, the club he departed for Spurs back in 2022, making Balogun the more realistic option for Everton's recruitment team.
The former Arsenal academy product has attracted attention not only for his goalscoring output but also for his involvement in one of the most contentious episodes of this year's World Cup. Balogun was sent off for serious foul play during the USA's last-32 meeting with Bosnia-Herzegovina, an offence that would ordinarily carry an automatic multi-match suspension.
Instead, FIFA's disciplinary committee opted to suspend the ban for a year, a ruling that drew significant criticism across the football world. Controversy deepened when it was revealed that US President Donald Trump and officials from the White House had lobbied FIFA over the American striker's punishment.
The leniency allowed Balogun, who scored three goals during the tournament, to line up in the USA's last-16 exit to Belgium. UEFA, European football's governing body, described the decision as "unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable."
The chairman of FIFA's disciplinary committee declined to clarify the reasoning behind the ruling when questioned by the BBC, while FIFA president Gianni Infantino rejected any suggestion that he had influenced the outcome of disciplinary proceedings.
The episode was thrown into sharper focus by a contrasting case involving England defender Jarell Quansah, who was also dismissed during the tournament for a high challenge on Mexico's Jesus Gallardo in a 3-2 win. Unlike Balogun, the Bayer Leverkusen player received the full punishment associated with serious foul play — an additional match added to his automatic one-game ban, resulting in a two-match suspension in total.
The disparity in how the two red-card incidents were handled has fuelled ongoing debate about consistency and transparency within FIFA's disciplinary processes, even as transfer business involving Balogun continues to develop.
For Everton, signing a forward of Balogun's profile would represent a significant boost to a squad in need of attacking reinforcements. The Toffees are working against the clock, with Tuesday's deadline leaving little room for prolonged negotiations. Whether Monaco are willing to lower their valuation or accept Everton's current offer remains to be seen, but the Merseyside club appear determined to push the deal through before the window shuts.
As it stands, Balogun looks set to be one of the more closely watched transfer sagas of the closing days of the window, with his on-field controversy from the World Cup continuing to shadow his next career move.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.