Sunderland join five Premier League rivals in race for United States star Folarin Balogun?

Sunderland have reportedly joined the race for Monaco striker Folarin Balogun ahead of the summer transfer window.

The 24-year-old has enjoyed an excellent summer so far, bagging a brace for the United States in their World Cup opener against Paraguay on June 13, providing Mauricio Pochettino's side with a perfect start to the tournament.

Balogun has been heavily linked with a switch away from Ligue 1 club Monaco this summer after he netted an impressive 19 goals in 43 competitive fixtures last season, whilst also providing four assists.

Sunderland could be in the market for a Brian Brobbey replacement amid supposed Manchester United interest in the target man, who has performed admirably so far for the Netherlands at the World Cup.

Balogun sat on the bench with the Star and Stripes' tag as Group D winners already secured on Friday morning as the United States lost 3-2 against Turkey, who were eliminated from the World Cup after two matches.

Sunderland join Balogun race?

According to CaughtOffside, a number of Premier League clubs are keen on securing the services of Monaco man Balogun in the near future, including Europa League-bound Sunderland in the North-East.

The report claims that although the Ligue 1 club are outwardly reluctant to sell their star striker, it is understood that they are willing to sanction an exit of the United States hero for around £43m this summer.

It is believed that former club Arsenal have a 17.5% sell-on clause on Balogun, meaning that the current Premier League champions could pocket around £7.5m from a potential sale of the forward.

As well as Sunderland, Aston Villa, Newcastle United, Crystal Palace, Everton and Nottingham Forest are all supposedly interested in bringing the American into their respective ranks ahead of the new term.

After a couple of productive campaigns in French football, it is said that Balogun is keen on a return to English football, last playing for Middlesbrough in the Championship during the 2021-22 term.

Balogun's England return

After an excellent campaign at Reims in 2022-23, Balogun was being considered for the first team at parent club Arsenal, who would later go on to win the Premier League title under Mikel Arteta.

It is fair to say that the 24-year-old's game time at the Emirates would have been limited, so it appears that the striker has made the right career decisions to date, with plenty of top-level football in front of him.

After sitting on the bench for the defeat to Turkey, Balogun should return to the starting XI of the United States for the round-of-32 tie with Bosnia-Herzegovina next week at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium.