Everton agreed a deal in the region of £40million with Monaco for Folarin Balogun as transfer deadline day reached its final hours, with personal terms still being finalised before the 11pm BST cutoff. The move would send the United States striker back to the Premier League if it is completed in time.
Balogun, 23, made two Premier League appearances for Arsenal before moving on, and his next deal now hinges on the paperwork being finished before the window shuts. He also scored three times in four appearances at this summer’s World Cup, which has helped keep his name in the frame for a major late move.
The fee would be a significant one for Everton, and it is also a reminder of how much business was still being pushed through in the closing stretch. Arsenal’s previous record sale was Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s 2017 move to Liverpool for £35m, while a potential move for Gabriel Martinelli to Al Hilal was being framed as a club record deal on the other side of the market.
There was still friction elsewhere in the window. Manchester City were told Chelsea wanted a £120m offer for Enzo Fernandez, but no offer from City arrived before the deadline, even as other moves remained live and several clubs waited to see what could be completed before the clock ran out.
That left Everton in a familiar race against time: a fee agreed, terms still to settle, and one final deadline that decided whether Balogun would be back in the Premier League by nightfall. The transfer window had already produced enough moving pieces to keep Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Everton all tied to the same late scramble, but Balogun’s was the deal with the clearest finish line.
