Everton are in desperate need of reinforcements in their forward line this summer following a troubling Premier League relegation battle and now a new update has emerged on a potential transfer target.
What's the latest on Everton's interest in Folarin Balogun?
According to 90min, Everton are one of the Premier League clubs interested in signing Arsenal forward Folarin Balogun this summer and have already made contact over a potential move.
As per the report, Arsenal have told Balogun's representatives to find a new club with Crystal Palace, West Ham United, Brentford, Fulham and Everton named as suitors.
It is claimed that the Gunners value their academy graduate at £30m and are happy for him to leave after the player rejected another opportunity to extend his contract at the North London club.
Who would Balogun replace in the Everton team?
There is no doubt that Sean Dyche will be keen to make improvements during his first full transfer window at Goodison Park and the focus is looking solely on the attacking threat.
The Toffees endured a real struggle for goal contributions in the Premier League last season which ultimately contributed to their =relegation worries and were only saved by a victory on the final day of the season.
Indeed, the Everton forward line has been significantly weakened over the last 12 months with Anthony Gordon and Richarlison departing, whilst Dominic Calvert-Lewin has been absent for the majority of the last two seasons due to injury issues, however, the club did sign Neal Maupay last summer to add some strength to the centre-forward role.
However, the Frenchman has flopped over his short time in Merseyside so far with just one goal scored in all competitions which has meant that the £15m signing has been another Farhad Moshiri transfer disaster.
As a result, Balogun could be a huge asset to Dyche next season and would instantly replace Maupay in the striker role if he can emulate the massive impact he had in Ligue 1 last season.
Over 37 league appearances, the 21-year-old talent scored 21 goals, registered two assists and created eight big chances, as well as averaging 3.5 shots on goal and 1.6 shots on target per game, with only Kylian Mbappe, Alexandre Lacazette and Jonathan David scoring more in France last season.
For context, in the top flight, Everton only managed to score 34 goals over their 38-game campaign – just 13 more than Balogun netted – and their highest-scoring player was Dwight McNeil with just seven goals in all competitions.
Balogun's goal-scoring form whilst on loan at Stade Reims has not gone unnoticed and has led to huge praise from his manager Will Still who hailed the youngster for his contributions:
"He’s unbelievable, he has real talent but he is also just a top person.
"He’s trying to learn the language – we have a bit of banter because his French is terrible (but) I think he realises: being good here will allow him to get the spotlight and attention he needs."
With that being said, it would be a major coup if Dyche could secure the services of Balogun as he could not only help Everton compete comfortably next season, but he could also be the future leader of the forward line at Goodison Park for many years to come.
