Inter Milan are reportedly preparing to reignite their interest in Arsenal's Folarin Balogun after suffering another blow in their striker search.
The Nerazzurri have already missed out on a couple of their attacking targets this summer, having initially been expected to re-sign Romelu Lukaku permanently from Chelsea.
However, the Belgian burned bridges with Inter after entering talks with Juventus, and Simone Inzaghi's side subsequently turned their attention to West Ham United's Gianluca Scamacca.
A transfer for the Italy international is seemingly dead in the water, though, as Atalanta BC are thought to be on the brink of hijacking their Serie A rivals' move for Scamacca.
Inter had initially shown an interest in Balogun before baulking at Arsenal's £50m asking price, but according to Fabrizio Romano, the Champions League runners-up are now ready to test the Gunners' resolve again.
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Balogun is said to be the number one priority for the Inter Milan board, who are preparing to engage in a fresh round of talks with Arsenal in the hope of finding an agreement.
The Premier League side will likely have to lower their asking price in order for a sale to materialise, but they are still hoping to garner a club-record fee for the USA international.
Arsenal's most expensive departure to date was Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's £35m move to Liverpool in 2017, but the Gunners only have Balogun under contract for another two years.
The 22-year-old was a prolific goalscorer for Arsenal at youth level but has made just 10 appearances for the first team since graduating from Hale End, registering two goals and one assist in the 2020-21 Europa League.
Balogun also failed to make a name for himself on loan with Middlesbrough in the 2021-22 season, but he was an unexpected success story at Reims with 21 goals from 37 Ligue 1 contests last season.
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The former England youth international subsequently pledged allegiance to the USA, and he scored his first goal for the Yanks in their CONCACAF Nations League final win over Canada in June.
Balogun has featured for Arsenal in pre-season, but a foot injury has kept him out of the Gunners' last two games with Barcelona and Monaco, and he has been joined in the treatment room by fellow attacker Gabriel Jesus.
The Brazil international will miss the first few weeks of the campaign after undergoing a knee operation, leading to further questions around Balogun's future as Mikel Arteta seeks solutions to the absence of his first-choice striker.
Eddie Nketiah, Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli are all capable of leading the line, though, and Arteta affirmed that Jesus's layoff would not change anything with plans for Balogun.
It remains to be seen if the 22-year-old will be cleared to return for Sunday's Community Shield clash with Manchester City at Wembley, although Bukayo Saka is set to feature following a brief illness.
Ben Knapton
