Montpellier forward Elye Wahi has been told that he should reject a move to Arsenal this summer as he is still a “raw talent”.

The 20-year-old has been one of the standout young players in Ligue 1 this term as he has scored 17 league goals for Montpellier.

The forward has not grabbed 30 goals and nine assists in 89 senior appearances for the French outfit. Arsenal were linked with a move for him during the latter stages of the January transfer window earlier this year. 

The Gunners will strengthen in various positions this summer but French football expert Jonathan Johnson thinks Wahi needs to join a club who would “act as a sort of finishing school for him”.

“Elye Wahi is an interesting player who’s starting to attract a lot of interest after his fine form with Montpellier this season. Still only 20 years of age, the forward has 17 goals and five assists in Ligue 1, and there’s growing interest from clubs across Europe,” Johnson told Caught Offside.

“German clubs often keep an eye on Ligue 1, with the success of players like Moussa Diaby and Randal Kolo Muani, and Wahi is the latest coming up on their radars. There have also been links with Arsenal, and there was seemingly heavy interest from Tottenham a few months ago, though that’s died down now that the club have fallen out of contention for a Champions League place.

“Wahi is very highly rated and there are clubs in Ligue 1 keeping an eye on him as well to potentially see if they can move him out of Montpellier. He has said on record that he’d be open to staying in France for a bit longer, so that could be one to watch.

“My feeling is that he’s a raw talent and he could perhaps do with going to a club who’d act as a sort of a finishing school for him before moving to a top Premier League club.”

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Arsenal youngster Folarin Balogun has also shone in Ligue 1 this term. The Reims loanee has scored 20 goals in 35 appearances this season.

Johnson is of the belief that the Gunners are “ready to offload” Balogun when the summer transfer window opens.

“With regards to those links to Arsenal, it’s becoming increasingly clear that they’re ready to offload Folarin Balogun this summer, so I don’t see the logic in them filling in his position in the squad with someone like Wahi, who needs to keep on playing somewhere where he’ll be the first choice,” Johnson added.

“There’s no doubting his talent and goal-scoring ability, he’s a real predator who knows how to put the ball in the back of the net and that’s going to be extremely valuable for a number of clubs. But whether he stays at Montpellier or goes elsewhere, he needs to start, and if he goes to Arsenal that would not be guaranteed.”

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