On 1 July, in a stadium on San Francisco Bay, Folarin Balogun wheeled away having put the United States ahead against Bosnia and Herzegovina at their own World Cup. Seven weeks later, a Folarin Balogun Barcelona link has surfaced: according to L’Equipe, as reported by Barca Blaugranes, the AS Monaco striker is among the forwards Barca have weighed up as the summer window runs down.
Why it matters: Barca need a centre-forward and are running out of days to sign one. Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres, the two men who led the line most often last season, have both left. Hansi Flick begins the LaLiga title defence away at Elche on Sunday with Hamza Abdelkarim as the only out-and-out No 9 in his squad, and the window closes on 31 August. Every new name that appears is a measure of how wide the search has become.
Who Balogun is, and why Monaco rate him
Balogun was voted AS Monaco’s player of the season last term, which is the single most useful line on his CV. He is quick and agile, and his link-up play and finishing have both drawn praise — a profile that reads a lot more like a Flick forward than a Lewandowski replacement in the traditional sense.
The backstory is unusual. Born in New York to Nigerian parents, he grew up almost entirely in London and came through Arsenal’s academy, making his debut for the Gunners before a run of loans took him to Monaco permanently. At the World Cup he collected two player-of-the-match awards for the United States, then was sent off in controversial circumstances against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32 and, more controversially still, reinstated in time for the US to go out to Belgium in the next round.
Transfermarkt value him at around 50 million euros. He has two years left on his Monaco contract and, per the same reporting, the Ligue 1 club are willing to sell — but only for a substantial fee.
Where the Folarin Balogun Barcelona link sits in Deco’s queue
A long way down it, on the evidence available. Julian Alvarez remains the priority and Atletico Madrid have refused to move, publicly and repeatedly, as we covered when Atletico’s CEO ruled out a sale at any price. Inter’s Lautaro Martinez and a reported enquiry to Borussia Dortmund over Serhou Guirassy have both been floated. Balogun is the newest name rather than the nearest one.
He is also not short of alternatives. Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur have both been mentioned as potential suitors, and a Premier League club with a clear route to minutes is a straightforward pitch for a 25-year-old striker. Barca, by contrast, are asking any incoming forward to compete in a front line built around Lamine Yamal, Raphinha and Anthony Gordon, under a 1:1 fair play limit that has already been stretched by this summer’s spending.
The honest read
This is a single-source link, and it should be read as one. L’Equipe placing Balogun on a list is not the same as Barca opening talks, and nothing in the reporting suggests contact between the clubs. What it does tell you is that Deco’s department has been working several profiles at once rather than waiting on Alvarez, which is the sensible way to run the last ten days of a window.
There is a neat symmetry to it, too. Monaco are the club Ansu Fati joined when he left Barca — a reminder that the two sides have done business recently enough to know each other’s numbers.
For now, file Balogun under “names being weighed” rather than “targets being pursued”. If the Alvarez door stays shut through the weekend and Barca need a striker who can actually be bought, the list of clubs willing to sell becomes a lot more interesting than the list of players Barca would prefer.
Reported by L’Equipe via Barca Blaugranes. Transfer claims are attributed to their original outlets and are not confirmed by either club.
