Reims president Jean-Pierre Caillot knows he and his club will have to enjoy Folarin Balogun while they can.
Balogun has turned in an incredible season on loan from Arsenal, and is currently tied for the most goals in Ligue 1 with 15.
The forward’s campaign has led to plenty of speculation over his future as he gets set to return to Arsenal at the conclusion of the season. The Gunners will mull over whether to cash in on the 21-year-old, offer him a first-team role in 2023-24, or send him on another loan — presumably to a bigger club than Reims.
In an interview with France Bleu, Caillot was realistic about his club’s prospects of landing the USMNT-eligible striker on a long-term basis, though he admitted he still holds out faint hope of bringing him back on another loan next season.
“I think [signing him permanently] is impossible,” Caillot said. “The rules of the game are clear: these are boys that, when they join us, know that they’re here to improve and that it’s a step for them. So even if I’m not deciding for him, either Folarin will return to his club (Arsenal) to have his chance, he’s loaned out, or transferred to a very big club.
“He is a player that should go even higher. So obviously we’ll ask him if he feels good here, and at his club, but I think that now, he will need to take a step up.
“We are already working on life after Balogun, the day when he will leave our club. But if he and the club are open to another year at Reims, we’ll do everything to make it happen.”
While Balogun’s club future remains in the air, his international destination has also become a major talking point. The forward has most recently represented England at the Under-21 level, but has said he remains open to playing for his birth country of the United States or Nigeria.
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