What World Cup 2026 has done for former Arsenal striker Balogun's transfer market

Folarin Balogun's strong World Cup 2026 showing with the United States has sent the transfer market into a spin, with a ninth European club now expressing interest in the Monaco striker. Balogun found himself at the centre of a remarkable sequence of events at the tournament, when a United States presidential intervention led to his red card ban being overturned ahead of the last-16 tie against Belgium (1-4). Despite that defeat, the Monaco forward made a significant impression across the competition, scoring three goals in four appearances and netting a brace on the opening matchday against Paraguay (4-1) for Thomas Tuchel's side. Those performances across the Atlantic have had an immediate effect on his transfer value, with his list of admirers growing by the day. As reported by transfer expert Ekrem Konur, Monaco are prepared to part with their former Arsenal forward. The club's hierarchy is already working on identifying a replacement and is open to hearing offers. A fee in the region of £42.6m to £46.8m could be sufficient to secure a deal for Balogun, who is under contract until June 2028 and currently carries a market value of around £34m. Barcelona have emerged as admirers of the New York-born attacker, along with a sizeable contingent of English clubs. In the Premier League alone, Chelsea, Sunderland, Aston Villa, Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest, Everton and Crystal Palace have all been linked with a summer move. Fenerbahce enter the Balogun race The latest name to join the pursuit is Fenerbahce. According to Transferfeed, the Istanbul club are now monitoring Balogun, who arrived at the Principality in the summer of 2023 for £25.5m and has gone on to score 31 goals in 91 appearances across all competitions. Fenerbahce finished second in the Turkish Super Lig behind Galatasaray and must navigate the second qualifying round to reach next season's Champions League. European competition of that level would not be on the table should Balogun choose to remain at Monaco, who finished seventh in Ligue 1 and will compete in the Conference League play-offs.