USMNT striker Folarin Balogun joins Monaco in $43.4 million transfer from Arsenal
Folarin Balogun is headed back to France's Ligue 1 after Monaco agreed to pay Arsenal more than $40 million to acquire the U.S. national team forward.
Balogun, 21, spent last season on loan from the English Premier League power to Reims, for which he scored 21 goals — the most of any player his age or younger in Europe's top five leagues. The New York City born, London raised striker returned to the Gunners for preseason but didn't feature in a competitive match for Mikel Arteta's side, which finished second in the Prem in 2022-23 behind treble-winning Manchester City.
Monaco was one of several clubs that expressed interest in Balogun this summer. After having its initial bid turned down and with just two days remaining in the summer transfer window, the club tendered an improved offer that Arsenal accepted. The $43.25 million fee is the second highest ever paid for an American, behind only the $65 million England's Chelsea paid Germany's Borussia Dortmund for Christian Pulisic in 2019.
Balogun, a former England under-21 squad standout, committed his international future to the U.S. in May. A month later, he helped the team win the CONCACAF Nations League title, scoring the Americans' second goal in the 2-0 win over Canada in the final in Las Vegas.
On a conference call with reporters Wednesday shortly before Balogun's deal was officially announced, U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter lauded the "fabulous" transfer of one of his team's biggest scoring threats.
"He's already performed at a really high level with a French team and now he's going to a bigger club in the French league," Berhalter said. "You see they're paying a lot of money for him. And Monaco is a club that is really thoughtful with who they bring in. So I think it's a fabulous move for him.
"We expect him to be able to score goals, continue to score goals, like he's done," the coach added. "He's really a guy who's focused on the process and continuing to improve, and he sees this as the next step for him on his way as he climbs the ladder in European soccer."
Doug McIntyre is a soccer writer for FOX Sports. Before joining FOX Sports in 2021, he was a staff writer with ESPN and Yahoo Sports and he has covered United States men’s and women’s national teams at multiple FIFA World Cups. Follow him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.
