Summary West Ham United is interested in signing Arsenal's Folarin Balogun this summer and wants to be involved in any potential negotiations. West Ham has struggled to make signings this transfer window and may lose Gianluca Scamacca, making the need for a new striker more urgent. Balogun's goal-scoring ability in Ligue 1 suggests he could significantly improve West Ham's attack and be a suitable replacement if Scamacca leaves.
West Ham United currently have Arsenal's American forward Folarin Balogun on their "radar" this summer and would want to be part of any "conversation" with the Gunners should they wish to sell him, claims journalist Alex Crook.
Is Folarin Balogun joining West Ham United this summer?
The Hammers have had a strange transfer window this summer, as despite making a massive profit on their club captain Declan Rice, thanks to a £105m offer from Arsenal, they are yet to make a single signing in the window.
So far, they have made several bids for players across the country, such as Southampton's James Ward-Prowse, Manchester United's Harry Maguire, and Chelsea's Conor Gallagher, only to see each one rejected in turn.
And they now look likely to lose their Italian striker Gianluca Scamacca – who only arrived last year- to Serie A giants Inter Milan, meaning they'll need to add a new goalscorer onto their shopping list this summer.
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And according to CBS reporter Ben Jacobs, they might've identified a new potential target for that position, Arsenal's promising youngster Balogun. However, the issue, as it is for most transfers, is the price, with the Gunners valuing the youngster at £45m and some within the club wanting £50m as a minimum.
That said, while it does look like the New York-born prospect will be moving on this year, there is a chance he remains for a little while longer following the injury to Gabriel Jesus earlier this week, but should the North Londoners press on with a sale, West Ham "want to be a part of that conversation", per Alex Crook.
He explained the situation live on TalkSport, with the clip being posted to their YouTube Channel:
"One player we believe is on West Ham's radar is the Arsenal Striker Folarin Balogun. He had such a good season in the French League last year. Will he get the opportunity at Arsenal?
"Well he might you know because Gabriel Jesus is injured for the start of the season but if they are open to offers, West Ham will want to be part of that conversation I'm told."
Would Folarin Balogun be a good signing for West Ham?
While the east Londoners were able to pull themselves out of a potential relegation scrap earlier than the year before last season, they were still in a perilous position for much of the campaign, and one of the reasons for that is their lack of goals.
Across the entire season last year, the club scored just 42 goals, with only seven teams scoring less than them; even the relegated Leeds United and Leicester City found the back of the net more often than David Moyes' side.
Unsurprisingly, the individual scoring statistics aren't much better, with Jarrod Bowen and Said Benrahma ending the year as the Hammer's league top scorers on a paltry six goals a piece and Michail Antonio following close behind with just five.
From looking at these numbers, it's easy to see just how Balogun could dramatically improve the side's overall attacking performance.
In just 34 Ligue 1 starts for Stade Reims, the 22-year-old "golden" talent, as described by scout Jacek Kulig, scored 21 goals, provided two assists and won four Man-of-the-Match awards, per WhoScored.
If the Irons lose Scamacca, as it looks like they might, Balogun could be the ideal replacement and dramatically improve their attacking output next year.
