Balogun's return to Arsenal under threat after striker reveals he and Arteta do not communicate

ARSENAL'S Nigeria-eligible striker Folarin Balogun's chances of returning to the Emirates at the end of his current loan spell in France may be slim after he revealed that himself and manager Mikel Arteta  seldom communicate.

Balogun, 21, was born in New York to Nigerian parents and has represented the US at U18 level but he currently plays for England's U21s. In a rich vein of form at the moment, the striker has been loaned out to French side Reim for the season and he has been red hot there of late, scoring 17 goals so far in this campaign.

His current form has attracted a lot of suitors with West Ham becoming the latest Premier League side to reveal that it is looking to sign Balogun during the forthcoming summer transfer window. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is expected to have crunch talks with him soon after which a decision will be taken on the strikers' future.

However, Asked to comment on his relationship with Mikel Arteta, Balogun told online portal Onze Mondial, that they barely speak. He said:  "We don't really talk. We don't communicate much and in reality, we never really communicated."

Balogun, who came through the Arsenal Hale End Academy, has made 10 career appearances for the Gunners first team.  Balogun had been tipped to leave the Emirates Stadium in the summer of 2021 but he made a U-turn and put pen to paper on a new contract with the hope that he would get first-team opportunities.

Having returned from his loan spell at Middlesbrough, Balogun was, however, not in Arteta's plans so agreed to another loan move to Reims in France. Balogun has mustered a total of 17 goals in 27 games for Reims this season, making him the joint-third highest goalscorer in the division and only Jonathan David (Lille) and Kylian Mbappé (PSG), who are on 19 goals each, have scored more than him.