Arsenal are poised to receive a boost from the January transfer window after Monaco confirmed their intention to sell forward Folarin Balogun, a player the Gunners offloaded to the French club in the summer of 2023 for a fee reported at €40million (£34.2million).
Monaco's sporting director, Thiago Scuro, revealed the club's stance during a press conference following the closure of the recent transfer window, stating that selling Balogun this winter would ease the financial situation at the Stade Louis II and allow the club to retain two of its other prized assets, Lamine Camara and Aleksandr Golovin, until the end of the season.
"The original plan is to find a solution for Balogun. If we find that, it will give Monaco the opportunity to keep Lamine and Golovin until the end of the season," Scuro told RMC Sport. "That is the ideal plan, but we can't control the decisions and what will happen in the winter."
The comments come amid reports of friction between Balogun and his previous loan club, Everton, with Scuro publicly addressing claims that the striker's unhappiness stemmed from how he was treated by the Merseyside outfit. According to Scuro, Balogun's issue centred on concerns raised by Everton's medical staff regarding his fitness, which appeared to affect his willingness to commit to a longer stay.
"Balogun's allegation is that I'm not feeling well because of the way the club treated me," Scuro said, relaying the player's perspective. "I'm not feeling well because Everton's medical department brought doubts about my future or my health. I have nothing (no medical problem), so I'm not comfortable to sign a long contract here."
Balogun's frustrations appear to have followed him back to Monaco, where his season has been disrupted by injury. The 25-year-old has yet to feature for the Ligue 1 club in six matches so far this campaign, sidelined by a knee problem. There is, however, a possibility he could make his long-awaited return this week, with Monaco set to face Lens on Friday night. Head coach Filipe Luis is expected to make a late decision on whether the striker is fit enough to be involved.
Despite the potential return to action, all indications suggest that Balogun's time at Monaco is nearing its end. Scuro's remarks make clear that the club views a January sale as the preferred outcome, both to resolve the uncertainty surrounding the forward's future and to create financial flexibility to secure the long-term futures of Camara and Golovin, two players central to Monaco's plans.
For Arsenal, the situation carries added significance. When the north London club sold Balogun to Monaco in 2023, they did not include a buy-back clause in the agreement, meaning they will not have the option to re-sign the striker even if his value has fluctuated since the move. However, reports indicate that Arsenal negotiated terms that entitle them to a percentage of any future sale involving Balogun, meaning a January departure from Monaco would generate an additional financial windfall for the Premier League club.
With Monaco's stance now public and Balogun's injury situation still developing, attention will turn to whether the striker features against Lens this week and which clubs may emerge as potential destinations once the January window opens.
Based on reporting from standard-football.