Balogun & Rice agree on $5.5bn Kroenke masterplan at Arsenal vs Barcelona

Arsenal news: Stan Kroenke wowed two Gunners stars in a pre-season friendly as LA Rams' SoFi Stadium impresses in America

Declan Rice and Folarin were both taken aback by Stan Kroenke's SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles as Arsenal beat Barcelona 5-3 in a thrilling pre-season encounter overnight.

It was a brilliant way for the Gunners to bow out of an entertaining USA tour having also put five past an MLS All-Stars XI in Washington last week as well as playing their role in a fiesty clash with Manchester United.

Kroenke's SoFi stadium, fixed with a roof and home to his NFL franchise, LA Rams, is the gold standard for modern stadia and also operates as the LA Chargers' home ground as well. With a pedestrian plaza, a £2.2million ($2.8m) Oculus 'infity' screen fitted above the pitch and state of the art artificial ground, it is one the best venues around.

It is able to expand to over 100,000 spectators for major events too, making it completely versatile for multiple sports and opportunities. It is already scheduled to host games at the 2026 World Cup and was the setting for the CONCACAF Gold Cup final earlier this month.

A step up even from the Emirates Stadium - one of the biggest and best stadiums in England - it certainly seemed to catch the eye of Balogun and Rice.

Writing on Instagram before the game, USMNT star strike Balogun put simply an impressed face emoji with the tag for the LA Rams. Rice, who joined Arsenal earlier this month in a £105millilion ($135m) move from West Ham, was just as impressed. He took an image from the centre of the pitch and captioned it with an emoji of a face with heart eyes.

Arsenal's fierce London rivals, Tottenham, have one of the most impressive stadiums in the Premier League but it still pales in comparison to the SoFi and so do many grounds. There is still a long way to go for English teams to catch up with Kroenke and America's infrastructure and for now, Balogun and Rice will have to take the chance to enjoy it while they can.

Which of the following prospects would you like to see in the first team, or loaned out for experience? Swipe to have your say...