Manchester United are seemingly set to be targetting a new centre-forward addition this summer, with Erik ten Hag seeking a long-term fit in that role following Cristiano Ronaldo's sour exit back in November.

The Red Devils could well have missed the opportunity to sign a potential solution to that problem in the past, with reports back in February 2021 having claimed that the club were keeping tabs on Arsenal starlet, Folarin Balogun, with the youngster having been facing an uncertain future in north London due to his expiring contract.

The Old Trafford outfit seemingly never acted on that interest, however, as the then-teenager opted to commit to a new four-year deal just a matter of months later, ensuring that United had missed the boat with regard to tempting the USA-born starlet into a move to Manchester.

As it has proved, the England U21 international has made "incredible" progress since then, according to Gunners boss Mikel Arteta, having enjoyed a particularly fruitful spell on loan at Ligue 1 side, Stade de Reims, so far this season.

The explosive 21-year-old is currently the leading scorer in the French top flight with 14 goals in just 20 appearances to date, ensuring that he is outperforming the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Neymar in the division.

The one-time Middlesbrough loanee only recently thwarted that stellar Paris Saint-Germain trio, having scored a remarkable stoppage-time equaliser against Christopher Galtier's side, showing great composure to round the advancing Gianluigi Donnarumma, before lashing home from the angle.

Those late heroics were then followed by another standout showing in Reims' most recent league outing at home to Lorient, with Balogun - who has a solid average match rating of 7.07 this season, as per Sofascore - having netted a scintillating hat-trick to help clinch a thrilling, 4-2 victory.

Clearly a ruthless presence in front of goal, the 5 foot 10 marksman has also caught the eye as a result of his creativity when leading the line as he has recorded one assist and created five big chances in Ligue 1 this season, while he also ranks in the top 5% among his European peers for progressive passes received.

Back at the Theatre of Dreams, Ten Hag and co have been without a regular presence in attack due to Anthony Martial's injury woes, while loan arrival Wout Weghorst does appear a mere short-term fix until the end of the season.

As such, United may well be ruing that they didn't secure Balogun's signature two years ago, even if he was a mere prospect at the time, with the exciting talent now evidently flourishing in France.