Arsenal on Folarin Balogun transfer red alert after $41m alternative found with deal confirmed

Arsenal transfer news: The Gunners have seen one of their main suitors for Folarin Balogun drop out of the race with a seperate deal being completed by RB Leipzig.

RB Leipzig are closing in on signing Belgium striker Lois Openda in a deal that impacts Arsenal in multiple ways. The German club are set to make the 23-year-old their most expensive player ever.

Having received major funds already this window from the sale of Dominik Szoboszlai, the Bundesliga side are now set to reinvest their cash in a new goalscorer. They have already lost Christopher Nkunku to Chelsea as well as key midfielder Konrad Laimer to Bayern Munich.

In true Leipzig fashion, it follows the departures in recent years of Dayot Upamecano, Tyler Adams, Nordi Muiele and Ibrahima Konate as well. Now, they are ready to make Openda their next big star with a £32.4million ($41.6m) deal being agreed with RC Lens.

Even with the addition of Kai Havertz, who football.london expects to be tried out in midfield under Mikel Arteta, the Gunners lack an out-and-out centre forward seen as reliable. Gabriel Jesus had a tremendous impact on the side last season but was far from a lethal finisher.

The scoring was shared throughout the attack in remarkable style but the hole left by no natural No9 capable of netting 15 or more goals was noticeable. Eddie Nketiah deputised nobly for Jesus but only scored four times and failed to find the net whilst the Brazilian was fit.

Despite being an academy graduate with great potential, Arteta is yet to entirely reassure Balogun that his place is cemented in the squad and therefore pre-season in America, who he now represents as his national side, will be key for Balogun. In the meantime there remains plenty of interest in him.

At least one of those sides looking at his just months ago have now gone elsewhere and it raises the question as to how other teams will act. The player himself has already revealed that he won't be heading out temporarily, effectively handing Arsenal a 'play me or sell me' ultimatum.

"What I can say is that I definitely won't go on loan again," he admitted last month. "I'm not sure on the discussions that are going to take place, I'm not sure what's going to happen. But I'm just committed to now, I try to stay present."

Whilst Leipzig signing Openda is good news for Arsenal's chances of keeping Balogun - something which they may not yet choose to do and could prove costly later on in the window - it does mean that another of their potential transfer targets has been lost.