Arsenal could benefit from Flo Balogun’s summer transfer as they face a dilemma for a striker on loan

ARSENAL could benefit from Flo Balogun in the summer, although the striker currently tops Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe in France.

Balogun, 21, is Ligue 1’s top scorer with 14 goals for Stade de Reims.

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And nobody was more surprised by his success than Arsenal, who didn’t expect him to be so prolific when they agreed to loan him to the French Minnows for the season.

But England Reims boss Will Still was so impressed with the New York-born target man, whom he describes as “a super-complete striker”, that he asked if they could sign Balogun on a permanent deal in the last transfer window.

That request was turned down by Arsenal, who have yet to decide what to do with Balogun or if he plays a role in Mikel Arteta’s long-term plans.

With only 18 months left on his deal at Emirates, they will either have to offer Balogun a lengthy new contract at the end of the season or sell him at maximum profit.

And there certainly won’t be a shortage of offers for a player who didn’t exactly set the Championship on fire when he was loaned to Middlesbrough for the second half of last season.

Now Arteta must determine if there is a realistic chance of Balogun getting ahead of Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah to lead the Arsenal attack.

The most likely scenario at the moment is that they will keep him at the club for the first half of the season to see if he is ready to play at Premier League and Champions League levels.

And if he can’t secure a regular place in the team, he’ll be loaned out again to get into the first team more regularly.

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But that can’t happen when he’s in the final year of his contract and eligible to leave as a free agent in 2025.

And Arsenal’s concern is that if they keep him next season and he doesn’t maintain the form he’s currently showing, his market value will fall.

England Under-21 international Balogun, who is also eligible to play for the USA and Nigeria, recently stressed: “Arsenal is my family.

“But I’ve spent my whole career in England and I knew it was going to be a different test when I came to Reims.

“I didn’t know the language and I’m still trying to learn it, but it was important for me to step out of my comfort zone and challenge myself.

“It’s why I’m here and hopefully it’s a decision that will pay off for me.

“I’ve already achieved my goal for the start of the season, now I want to do even better and hope for 20 goals.”

If he succeeds in this ambition, it will be difficult for Arteta to ignore Arsenal’s call to keep Balogun and make him a part of their plans.

But the feeling at the club is that it takes a lot more to shine in the Premier League than it does in France.

And until Balogun has shown he can hold his own against the best sides in England, the jury is out.