{
  "id": 3477330,
  "title": "Aston Villa and Tottenham target Folarin Balogun absent from Monaco first-team training",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/aston-villa-and-tottenham-target-folarin-balogun-absent-from-monaco",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-26T09:25:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/aston-villa-tottenham-target-folarin-092500594.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Aston Villa and Tottenham are interested in signing Folarin Balogun, but the player was absent from AS Monaco’s first-team training session on Wednesday. The young forward did not take part in the UEFA Europa Conference League qualifier first leg against Gornik Zabrze in Poland last week, nor was he present in Monaco’s Ligue 1 opener against Le Havre AC. Balogun is not scheduled to feature in the second leg against Gornik Zabrze either. Filipe Luís, a Monaco official, revealed Balogun's absence in a press conference, stating that the player had just returned from the World Cup and was recovering from injuries sustained during the tournament. Balogun is currently following an individual training program. Ansu Fati was also absent from the training session, while Matthis Abline participated but followed his own individual program. Despite the absence, Balogun remains a target for multiple clubs, including Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa, and Barcelona.",
  "summary": "Amid strong links with a transfer, Folarin Balogun was absent from AS Monaco’s first-team training session, attended by Get French Football News on Wednesday. Balogun was not involved in the UEFA Eu...",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yahoo Sports",
        "title": "Why Ollie Watkins’ move to Saudi Arabia will tarnish his Aston Villa legacy",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/25/why-ollie-watkins-move-to-saudi-arabia-will-tarnish-his-aston-villa",
        "published": "2026-08-25T06:07:42.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}