Chelsea interested in Arsenal striker Folarin Balogun

Chelsea are interested in signing Arsenal centre-forward Folarin Balogun, according to Sky Sports.

The Blues do not have a striker to back up Nicolas Jackson and have Balogun on their radar.

The only other striker on Chelsea’s roster is Armando Broja, who is still recovering from a long-term injury.

Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has claimed they don’t want a new striker to come in and block Broja’s path.

However, with the Albanian international still on the sidelines, they may need to add another forward to their squad.

Balogun was highly regarded as one of the top talents from the club’s academy before making his senior team debut in October 2020.

A month later, he netted his first goal for Arsenal in the Europa League.

Balogun went on loan to Championship club Middlesbrough in the second half of the 2021/22 season and bagged three goals and three assists in 19 games.

He was loaned Reims last term and took Ligue 1 by storm. 

Balogun notched 21 goals and two assists in 37 appearances for Reims, helping them to finish 11th in the table.

He returned to Arsenal this summer but has found it difficult to usurp Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah.

Balogun is ready to leave the club this summer, as Mikel Arteta has not played him this season.

The United States international could find the game time he seeks at Stamford Bridge with the Blues showing an interest.

The Gunners will demand a massive fee for Balogun. Their demands caused Inter Milan to baulk and sign Marko Arnautovic instead.

Chelsea have shown they are not afraid to shell out massive fees, but it remains to be seen if they will make a concrete move.