Tottenham's Striker Search: Balogun Talks Open
Tottenham have turned the spotlight firmly on their forward line – and the pace of the hunt has just gone up a gear.
After pouring more than £230million into Roberto De Zerbi’s defence and midfield, Spurs have moved on to the part of the rebuild that will define their season: finding a No.9. Two, if they can. The timing is no coincidence.
Dominic Solanke’s ankle problem, which kept him out of the friendly draw with Getafe, has stripped the squad down to a single fit senior centre-forward in Richarlison – a player who has already made it clear he is open to a move. For a club with Champions League ambitions, that is a tightrope without a safety net.
So Tottenham have gone to work.
Spurs open talks for Balogun
In France, the word is that Spurs have made their first serious move. L’Equipe report that Tottenham have opened talks with Monaco over USA striker Folarin Balogun “in recent hours” and have started to lay the foundations for a deal worth around €60m (£51.2m).
Balogun, 25, knows north London. Arsenal sold him to Monaco in a £35m deal three years ago, and he has since grown into a reliable scorer in Ligue 1, hitting 31 goals in 91 games for the principality club. Not spectacular numbers, but steady, and trending upwards.
His profile has risen sharply on the international stage too. Balogun impressed at the World Cup this summer, scoring three times in four matches for the United States. His tournament was not without drama: he found himself at the centre of a storm over a red card, a sanction later suspended for a year after intervention from Donald Trump and FIFA president Gianni Infantino, which allowed him to feature in the USA’s last-16 defeat to Belgium.
That controversy has done little to dampen interest. Newcastle United, who were already battling Sunderland for his signature earlier in the window, are still in the frame, and there is attention from Spain as well. Yet it is Tottenham who have moved first this week, sensing an opportunity to get ahead of their rivals while others hesitate.
For De Zerbi, Balogun would offer mobility, pressing energy and a penalty-box presence that fits the aggressive, front-foot football he favours. For Spurs’ hierarchy, he represents a prime-age striker with resale value and Premier League familiarity, even if only by association from his Arsenal days.
The message is clear: with Solanke sidelined and the search for a new left-winger stalling, the striker chase can no longer wait.
Vlahovic chooses Turkey
While one target edges closer to the Premier League, another is slipping away.
Dusan Vlahovic, long admired in north London and firmly on Tottenham’s radar since Antonio Conte’s tenure, has given the initial green light to join Besiktas. The former Juventus forward and his camp are understood to have verbally agreed a three-year contract worth €10m per season with the Turkish giants.
The deal is now at the stage where lawyers take over. Once the paperwork passes legal checks, the Serbia international could be on a plane to Istanbul within 48 hours. The latest, improved offer from Besiktas is said to have tipped the balance and effectively closed the door on a move to England.
Vlahovic had resurfaced as a serious Tottenham option last month, with De Zerbi keen to bring in a proven, penalty-box predator to spearhead his attack. The Serbian’s decision to accept Besiktas’ terms underlines the new reality of the market: Turkish clubs, armed with strong financial packages and the promise of being the main man, can now outmuscle traditional suitors for players in their prime.
For Spurs, it is a blow, but not a fatal one. Vlahovic was a marquee dream; Balogun looks more like a strategic play. One big-name forward appears bound for Istanbul, another could yet be tempted back to north London.
The clock is ticking to September 1. Tottenham know they cannot afford to reach it with a rebuilt team and a glaring hole at centre-forward.
