Former Arsenal striker Folarin Balogun lit up the World Cup with a brace for the USMNT against Paraguay in Los Angeles. Arsenal will be in line to profit if the USMNT starlet leaves AS Monaco this summer.
Balogun's World Cup Heroics
The young centre-forward put his name up in lights in Los Angeles as he struck an excellent brace to kickstart the host nation's World Cup campaign with a bang against Paraguay. His memorable double means that he is the first American player to score a brace at a World Cup since Bert Patenaude way back in 1930.
Arsenal's Sell-On Clause
Monaco will be desperate to keep him this summer on the back of a 19-goal season, but if he attracts interest, Arsenal's coffers could well be boosted. That is because Mirror Football understands that they have a 17.5% sell-on clause, which they negotiated when selling Balogun to the Ligue 1 outfit back in August 2023 for £34 million including add-ons.
There was no buy-back clause in the deal, but a new striker is not among the Gunners' top priorities in the transfer market, anyway.
Balogun's Reaction
Balogun claimed his World Cup bow was a dreamy night as the USMNT made it clear they are not participating in the tournament just to make up the numbers. The 24-year-old said: It is important to take each game at a time. But of course, Poch has said many times, 'Why not us?' We have to believe, you cannot do anything if you do not believe in yourself. So a 4-1 against a tough Paraguay side, we will look to recover and rest for the next game. Three goals in the first half opening game, I felt like it was a real statement, and that is what we wanted to do. It is a dreamy night.
Monaco's Investment
Balogun has required time to settle in at Monaco, who made a serious financial commitment to prise him away from Arsenal. While Mikel Arteta was open to keeping him at the time, he could not provide Balogun with assurances of minutes, and it was clear that he would have to move on to play regularly. Inter Milan and AC Milan were among those keen around the time, but Monaco pounced to win the race for his signature, and now there is a sense he is worth more than his purchase price.
