Arsenal youngster Folarin Balogun is set to sign a new contract at the Gunners, having reportedly rejected a deal from Bayer Leverkusen.
Balogun has been the subject of many reports over the past 12 months, with the English youngster’s contract set to expire in the summer.
The talented 19-year-old was linked with a move to Sheffield United last September, but the Blades signed Liverpool’s Rhian Brewster instead.
Balogun was then linked with a move to RB Leipzig back in January, with reports suggesting the player had signed an agreement in principle to join them.
However, those reports now look to be wide of the mark. According to Sky Sports, Balogun is close to signing a new long-term deal with Arsenal.
It is said that Mikel Arteta and technical director Edu have ‘convinced’ Balogun his future lies with Arsenal.
Fabrizio Romano has also revealed on Twitter that Balogun rejected an ‘important contract bid’ from Bayer Leverkusen to sign a new contract with Arsenal.
He also explained that RB Leipzig had never been in the race to sign Balogun and that his new deal with Arsenal will last until 2025.
Folarin Balogun is gonna turn down an important contract bid from Bayer Leverkusen to stay at Arsenal. RB Leipzig have never been in the race.
Balogun is now set to sign a new contract with Arsenal until 2025, the agreement is ‘imminentm as @David_Ornstein reported ⚪️🔴 #AFC https://t.co/T50NG53go4
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) April 9, 2021
Arsenal fans reaction
If the Balogun news is true I think it’s far more significant than people are making out. Everyone turned their back on him after thinking he was leaving but he’s a massive talent, could certainly be the answer to our CF problem in future years.
— James. (@afcjxmes) April 9, 2021
https://twitter.com/RealIanPoulter/status/1380473018321887234?s=20
Arteta watched Lacazette last night and went straight home and offered Balogun £350,000 per week https://t.co/ZEKZOb69kS
— Paddy (@PaddyArsenal) April 9, 2021
https://twitter.com/AfcKiko/status/1380480278020419590?s=20
Biggest news of the day, delighted Balogun is staying 🙏🏾
— C (@ctt_carys) April 9, 2021
SL View – Balogun staying is a big win for Arsenal
This news may not have short-term implications for Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, but the long-term benefits could be huge.
Balogun has often been talked about as a future star, with the clubs following him a sign of his potential.
With Alexandre Lacazette, Nicolas Pepe and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang receiving a lot of criticism lately, there is no reason that players like Balogun and Gabriel Martinelli can not usurp them with time.
There are also many more exciting youngsters progressing from the youth system to the first-team.
Emile Smith Rowe, Bukayo Saka, Reiss Nelson and Joel López Salguero have all worked themselves into the first-team picture recently.
Given time, Mikel Arteta could build an extremely exciting squad full of some of the best talents in England.
Read More: Mikel Arteta provides an injury update on Arsenal attacker Martin Odegaard.
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