USA v Bosnia and Herzegovina: Round Of 32 - FIFA World Cup 2026
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - JULY 01: Folarin Balogun #20 of the United States celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 match between USA and Bosnia and Herzegovina at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium on July 01, 2026 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Folarin Balogun, who made headlines for the US national team at the FIFA World Cup for both good and bad reasons, is on FC Barcelona’s list of potential targets, according to L’Equipe.
Barça are very light in the striker department after the departures of Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres, last season’s top two options. Everyone knows that Julián Alvarez is their #1 target, but Atlético de Madrid have shown no signs of budging over the Argentine star.
A lot of names have been mentioned as potential signings, and it’s not totally unreasonable to think Barcelona might sign at least one - if not two - of the names.
Balogun was elected as AS Monaco’s player of the season last term, and won two Player of the Match awards with the United States during the World Cup. He was controversially sent off against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32, and then even more controversially reinstated under nebulous circumstances, just in time for the US to crash out to Belgium in the very next game.
Apart from Barcelona, Premier League teams such as Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur have been mentioned as potential suitors for Balogun. He has two more years left in his contract and Monaco are reportedly willing to sell, but only for a big fee.
Known as an agile and quick striker, Balogun’s link-up play and finishing have been celebrated as well. Born in New York to Nigerian parents, he grew up almost entirely in London, eventually joining Arsenal’s academy. After his debut with the Gunners, he went on loan for a few clubs before joining Monaco.
Transfermarkt has estimated his value as 50 million euros.
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