West Ham could be put off move for Arsenal striker Folarin Balogun as price rises again
Arsenal are set to inflate the price of Folarin Balogun to sell him to a Premier League side, with West Ham interested, according to the Daily Mail.
The newspaper reported on its website that West Ham, Chelsea and Tottenham have all made enquiries, but the £50million price tag will be raised for the interested Premier League sides as Arsenal are reluctant to strengthen rivals.
It was previously reported by Football Transfers [18 August] that West Ham bosses have informed David Moyes that a move for Balogun, at £50million, would be too expensive – and this was before the threat of another price hike.
More likely to move abroad now
Balogun now looks significantly more likely to move abroad after the recent news, with Monaco among the teams to have reportedly made contact with Arsenal after his excellent 19-goal season in Ligue 1 while on loan with Reims.
Previous reports suggest that Moyes had his heart set on a move for the USA international striker, but was left disappointed by the club’s decision that he would be too expensive to pursue.
The threats of another price hike coming out of Arsenal have emerged following strongly reported interest from Chelsea, who are keen on adding another striker to their squad to compete with Nicolas Jackson after Christopher Nkunku suffered an injury.
West Ham will instead have to turn their attention to other forward targets as they look to strengthen their own striker situation before the window closes on 1 September.
The Hammers have also been linked with Sevilla forward Youssef En-Nesyri, with their long-standing interest finally set to be made formal with an offer according to reports.
In other West Ham news, one new incoming could be decided by an outgoing player.