Marco Silva gives Arsenal transfer hint on Folarin Balogun links after £46m decision
Fulham boss Marco Silva has stated his opinion on potential signings amid the Cottager’s interest in Arsenal’s USMNT centre-forward Folarin Balogun
Marco Silva has provided an update on Fulham’s likelihood of bringing in a striker before the end of the transfer window on September 1st.
The Cottagers finally took the decision to sell Aleksandar Mitrovic to Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal for a fee believed to be in the region of £46million last weekend. football.london understands that Fulham are looking at Arsenal’s Folarin Balogun as a potential replacement for the Serbian.
The West Londoners are among several Premier League sides interested in bringing in the USMNT striker. Tottenham and Chelsea have both reportedly enquired about Balogun, while West Ham also have an interest. It is thought that Monaco are also preparing to launch a second official bid for the 22-year-old after seeing an initial offer rejected earlier in the summer.
When asked about potential further incomings his press conference before Fulham travel to the Emirates Stadium to take on the Gunners on Saturday afternoon, Silva admitted that his side were in the market for a centre-forward, hinting at the level of player they are hoping to attract.
“If we are going to sign a striker, it has to be someone who can have an impact in our squad,” he said. “Of course we need to sign players, but we need to sign the right ones.”
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As well as having an interest in Balogun, Fulham have also been linked to signing Juventus’ Moise Kean, who Silva briefly worked with at Everton. Silva though, ruled this out as a prospect in his press conference. “Moise Kean is not a solution for us,” he said. “I don’t like to speak about players, but I want to clarify this situation.”
Balogun is one of at least seven players Arsenal are open to selling before the summer transfer window closes on September 1st. The American forward had an impressive loan spell with Stade de Reims last season where he scored 22 goals. Despite though, he is not a part of Mikel Arteta’s plans for the coming season and is yet to feature in a matchday squad for the Gunners so far.
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