Liverpool want Arsenal striker Folarin Balogun.
Sky Sports journalist Lyall Thomas wrote that Liverpool have been watching the Gunners forward, who is in the last year of his contract.
Arsenal want £8 million for the forward, who attracted interest from Brentford in the January transfer window – but a deal couldn’t be reached between the two sides.
As the report correctly mentions, that fee if very high for someone without a senior minute and for someone who is entering the final 12 months of his Arsenal stay.
Folarin Balogun wants assurances of his first team role moving forward, said Sky Sports. The 18-year-old has scored 10 goals in 15 U23 appearances for Arsenal this season, and that is an impressive record, but not one that Liverpool are going to get too excited about.
He is thought of in a good light, and sporting director Michael Edwards has received good reports about the player. However, you’d expect Balogun to move somewhere else in search of that first breakthrough into the senior game.
Liverpool have a number of excellent prospects that would block the 18-year-old’s path to the first team. For one, Rhian Brewster has performed excellently for Swansea City in the Championship and will want to challenge for a place in Jurgen Klopp’s squad next season.
Liverpool also have Joe Hardy, signed from Brentford this January, who is fighting to make his way in this world. Paul Glatzel, recently recovered from his horrific knee injury, will be trying to recover his lost year.
We’ve seen the club linked with a few youngsters this transfer window. The strength of the youth squad means there’s nobody who is really exciting, although Polish forward Mateusz Musialowski could end up being an excellent investment.
On the senior front, we’re still not seeing anything concrete – despite continued whispering of a deal for Thiago Alcantara.