The situation of Folarin Balogun remains one of the most unique issues of this end of the transfer window. The American striker is coming off a particularly eventful summer, marked by a 2026 World Cup played at home with the United States and considerable media exposure. His competition was notably parasitized by the incredible controversy surrounding his red card and Donald Trump’s intervention with Gianni Infantino to allow the striker to participate in the round of 16 against Belgium. A sequence which went far beyond the sporting framework and contributed to keeping Balogun at the center of attention throughout the tournament. Also on the pitch, the Monegasque confirmed his status with a notable global campaign, which only reinforced interest around his future.
For several weeks, Balogun’s future in Monaco has been far from being definitively fixed. The Principality club had anticipated a possible sale of its center forward and was not closing the door to a departure, particularly in an economic context which is pushing ASM to generate cash to continue its recruitment. The issue has become particularly important for Monaco since several arrivals have been conditional on the American’s exit, including that of Erik Lira, while the club had already established a short-list to find a possible successor. Its valuation, around 50 million euros, however complicated the discussions and slowed down an operation which seemed destined to settle down during the summer. A few hours before the transfer window closes, Balogun remains one of the players whose departure could still cause several cascading movements on the market.
Fiorentina ahead, Atalanta watches
And Serie A has not forgotten the file. According to our information, Fiorentina and Atalanta have thus obtained information on the situation of the Monegasque striker and are now monitoring the last hours of the transfer window very carefully. In Florence, the track could take on an additional dimension if Albert Gudmundsson were to leave the club, he who is on the shelves of Lazio. Fiorentina then quickly looked for an offensive solution capable of compensating for this departure and Balogun was one of the profiles studied to respond to this emergency. The sporting context is also pushing purple leaders to accelerate. After two defeats to start their season, including a heavy setback (0-3) against Frosinone on Saturday, the team led by Fabio Grosso already appears in search of answers and reinforcements to rebalance its offensive sector. Note that Everton, still far away in the race, is also interested in the American striker from AS Monaco.
Still according to our indiscretions, Atalanta is keeping an eye on the American international, with a different thinking, but a comparable urgency. The Bergamo club wishes to further strengthen its offensive solutions in order to offer more depth to its coach in a season which promises to be particularly busy, particularly with the Europa Conference League. With this in mind, Balogun represents a profile likely to provide power, mobility and a real ability to evolve in several offensive configurations. Obviously there remains the question of price and that of timing, since Monaco must also manage the last hours of the transfer window and do not wish to let their attacker leave without having secured the conditions of the operation. But as the summer window closes, the interests of Fiorentina and Atalanta could breathe new life into a file that was thought to be gradually moving away from Italy.
