France club Reims is a European miracle in many ways. They are led by a Belgian/England manager who still doesn’t have a license, they are the only club in the Top 5 European league unbeaten in 19 consecutive games in all competition, and they have a teenage sensation scoring for them. The last data is of interest to three clubs: Arsenal, Inter Milan and AC Milan. The Gunners are happy that Folarin Balogun, the product of their Academy is this teenage sensation which scored 16 goals in 26 games and is on loan at Reams. And the Italian rivals are hoping that they can snatch the player come June, as both clubs are looking to bolster their attack. Folarin Balogun scores his 16th league goal of the season to give Reims the 1-0 win over Monaco. Only Kylian Mbappé and Jonathan David (19 each) have more Ligue 1 goals than the Arsenal loanee 🫶 pic.twitter.com/yMQ6x47q6v— B/R Football (@brfootball) March 12, 2023 AC Milan has a much greater need at a striker position. While Inter has Lautaro Martinez and Edin Džeko, while can still get Romelu Lukaku, who is unwanted at Chelsea, Rossonerri are basically cornered. Their striking options are Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Olivier Giroud and Divoc Origi. Ibra is without a doubt the best striker and a team leader, but whatever he thinks of his body and durability, he is 41 and just recovered from a major injury ( ), which kept him out of San Siro for the last . He has not started a game since 9 January 2022 against Venezia, but was a substitute against Atalanta and Fiorentina and will come in (at some point) against Salernitana. He is not the long term solution for the club. The only thing he can do in the nearest future is to score and become the older goalscorer in all Top 5 European leagues. Current record holder is former Milan player Alessandro Costacurta (41 years and 25 days). What’s a huge clock doing in Arsenal’s dressing room?Apart from the winger Rafael Leao, who is the current top goal scorer but it is in the contract dispute with the club, Olivier Giroud is Milan’s top scorer with 7, but he is 36 years old. That leaves the club with one of the worst signings in a decade – Divoc Origi. The Kenyan forward came as a free agent from Liverpool and totally disappointed. Even with Ibrahimovic out with injury he couldn’t cemented his place in the starting 11. So far, he appeared in only 23 games in all competition and scored 2 goals. So, the need for a new, younger striker is dire. And at San Siro, they believe Folarin Balogun is the solution. La Gazzetta Dello Sport writes that both clubs are looking to strike a deal with Arsenal when the player comes back to England, but will the Gunners sell is another matter. He is contracted with the club until 2025 and could command a fee south of 30 million euros. ##NAJAVA_MECA_7087982##
