Newcastle United not pursuing a deal for Folarin Balogun

Newcastle United are not working on a deal to sign Monaco forward Folarin Balogun, according to The Athletic. Having lost Alexander Isak to Liverpool last summer, the Magpies brought in Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa, both of whom struggled in their debut season at St James’ Park, leading to rumours that a new striker could arrive. Newcastle had briefly been linked with Balogun, who is expected to leave Monaco this summer, but the Tyneside club will not make a move to sign the striker as Eddie Howe trusts William Osula to lead the line next season.

Osula enjoyed a splendid end to last season, netting five goals in his final seven matches after netting just twice across his opening 17 league matches. While several clubs will be keen to take the Dane away from Tyneside, Newcastle have huge faith in him and are not looking to add a new striker unless Wissa leaves. Unlike Osula, Balogun was on fire in front of goal throughout the 2025/26 campaign, netting 19 goals across all competitions, including five in 10 Champions League outings.

The 24-year-old has carried over that form onto the international scene, scoring an impressive brace in the United States’ opening World Cup match against Paraguay. With Newcastle now out of the race for the American, other interested parties have one less team to worry about. Monaco have placed a €50 million (£43 million) price tag on Balogun, who has two years left on his current deal at Stade Louis II.