Inter Milan ‘make Arsenal and USA striker Folarin Balogun their No 1 target’ after

Arsenal striker Folarin Balogun remains Inter Milan’s number target after they cooled their interest in Atletico Madrid‘s Alvaro Morata. 

Balogun returned to the Gunners following a successful spell on loan at Ligue 1 side Reims last season, but has been linked with a permanent move away from The Emirates. 

Now La Gazzetta dello Sport are reporting that Inter have made the American international their first-choice target as they search for a new forward. 

The Italian side had begun the window looking to do a deal with Chelsea to bring back Romelu Lukaku on a permanent deal, but talks broke down earlier this month leaving the Belgian in limbo. 

Simone Inzaghi then turned his attention to Atletico’s former Chelsea striker Alvaro Morata, but the club have backed away from a deal for the Spaniard. 

Folarin Balogun has become the number one target for Serie A side Inter Milan this summer 

Simone Inzaghi wants a new striker and has now made the Arsenal star the club’s priority 

Inter pulled out of a deal from Atletico’s Alvaro Morata after seeing it as too expensive 

The Italians were put off by Madrid’s reported €21m(£18m) asking price for a player who’s now 30 and would demand wages of around €9m(£7.7m). 

There were also doubts over the desire of Morata in moving from Spain to Serie A, something that was key in Inter’s deals for Davide Frattesi and Marcus Thuram this summer. 

Balogun now remains the focus of Inter’s transfer ambitions but the fee for the 22-year-old could prove to be the stumbling block. 

Arsenal are looking for a £50m fee for the player, who scored 21 goals in 37 appearances in France last season – a figure that Inter are not willing to match. 

However, the Nerazzurri believe the price tag could be reduced by the Gunners before the end of the current window. 

If Inter do fail in their pursuit of the Arsenal hitman, they’ve identified Udinese’s Beto as a further alternative in their striker search.  

Balogun wants the security of first-team football this season, and was seen training alone during Arsenal’s pre-season friendly against Barcelona earlier this week. 

The striker scored 22 goals for French side Reims last season and has attracted attention 

Mikel Arteta has admitted his Arsenal squad will need trimming down before the new season

He faces fierce competition in north London with Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah already part of Mikel Arteta’s plans. 

The Arsenal boss has already admitted his squad may need to be trimmed down following the arrivals of Jurrien Timber, Kai Havertz and Declan Rice over the summer window. 

Balogun could be one of several exits from the club, with Nicolas Pepe, Albert Sambi Lokonga and Kieran Tierney also in the firing line.