Arsenal striker refuses to commit long-term future at club after bagging brace for England

Arsenal striker Folarin Balogun has refused to commit to the Gunners next season, with the young gun insisting he wants to speak to manager Mikel Arteta before making a decision.

The 20-year-old spent the second half of last season out on loan at Middlesbrough, getting valuable playing time in 18 games and bagging three goals in the Championship.

The England U21 striker was the hero of the day, with his two goals helping his side to 3-0 win over Albania and helping the Young Lions seal qualification to U21s Euro 2023.

The Gunners have two striker slots to fill with the departure of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in January and Alexandre Lacazette who refused to extend his deal and has left the club.

Eddie Nketiah is also out of contract this summer, and is weighing up leaving north London for more playing time.

Balogun is highly-rated at Arsenal having come through the ranks at Hale End since 2008, and this summer will be pivotal for the striker who is desperate for an opportunity to have a crack at top-level football.

But if the young gun chooses to seek opportunities elsewhere, the Gunners face potentially losing four strikers in just over six months.

What the Folarin Balogun said

Fresh after playing a pivotal role in sealing Euro 2023 qualification the Young Lions, Balogun told TalkSport that he would look to hold talks with his manager to before deciding his future.

He said: “When I get back to Arsenal I will like to sit down with the manager and see what he thinks and we will decide what is best.

“I know that everyone will like to know what I will do next but I would like to speak to him first and we can come to a conclusion.”

Players linked to Arsenal

Arsenal are in the market for a striker, and have been linked to Manchester City striker Gabriel Jesus.

There are talks that the Gunners have also agreed to extend the contract of Nketiah, who scored 10 goals last season and his influence at the tail end of the campaign proved he can find the back of the net.

The Gunners have been linked to Napoli’s electric striker Victor Osimhen, who is tipped to transform the fortunes of the club if he was to make the move.