Arsenal set for transfer windfall after £34.2m deal as January plan is confirmed
Monaco have confirmed plans to sell Folarin Balogun in January, meaning Arsenal are in line to bank a transfer windfall.
The Gunners were on course to do so in the summer window when it appeared Balogun was on his way back to the Premier League after Everton had agreed £40million deal with Monaco.
However, the move broke down in the 11th hour on transfer Deadline Day as the USMNT striker reportedly felt the club were going behind his back to sign someone else amid links to Manchester United forward Joshua Zirkzee.
Furthermore, Balogun's unhappiness with Everton was revealed by Monaco chief Thiago Scuro at a press conference shortly after the transfer window had closed.
"Balogun's allegation is that I'm not feeling well because of the way the club treated me,” Scuro told reporters.
"I'm not feeling well because Everton's medical department brought doubts about my future or my health.
"I have nothing (no medical problem), so I'm not comfortable to sign a long contract here."
Balogun is still to feature for Monaco this season, missing all six games so far with a knee injury. He could, though, return to action on Friday night against Lens with head coach Filipe Luis set to make a late call.
Beyond that, it would appear Balogun's long-term future is away from the Stade Louis II as Scuro has confirmed that the club’s plan is to sell the 25-year-old during the January transfer window, which would allow Lamine Camara and Aleksandr Golovin to see out the season.
“The original plan is to find a solution for Balogun. If we find that, it will give Monaco the opportunity to keep Lamine and Golovin until the end of the season," Scuro told RMC Sport.
"That is the ideal plan, but we can’t control the decisions and what will happen in the winter."
Arsenal did not insert a buy-back clause in the deal, understood to be worth €40million (£34.2million), taking Balogun to Monaco in the summer of 2023.
However, the Gunners did include a sell-on clause which will see them bank 17.5 per cent of any transfer should the USMNT striker be sold by the French club in the January window.