With players like Granit Xhaka and Lucas Torreira expected to leave this summer, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has been looking at Anderlecht’s Albert Lokonga to fill the void.
The 21-year-old has been linked with the Premier League side for a few months and reports had claimed that Anderlecht have already rejected a £13 million bid from the Gunners.
Just when everyone was wondering what the next step is going to be, Fabrizio Romano has come out to reveal that Albert Lokonga has his sights set on joining Arsenal this summer so the Gunners will need to act now.
“Talks between Arsenal and Anderlecht are true, and Arsenal and the player’s agents are true. Lokonga is 100% open to joining Arsenal,” Romano said in his podcast.
“He would love to join Arsenal. He told Napoli and Atalanta ‘my priority is Arsenal’. Let’s see if Arsenal will complete a deal in the next days.”
Will Albert Lokonga be a sensible signing?
Mikel Arteta needs a long-term partner for Thomas Partey next season but without European football on the table, it will be really hard for Arsenal to attract the first-tier players this summer.
But, having said that, Albert Lokonga is no unknown player as he has been rising sharply in the Pro League.
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The 21-year-old has come up through the ranks at Anderlecht and during the 2020-21 season, he played in 27 league matches, scoring three and assisting two goals.
According to TransferMarkt, he is valued at £10.80 million and some rumours claim that the Belgium club are ready to strike a deal for a fee of around £17 million. The Belgian is known to join in attacks and is supposedly a great passer of the ball.
If Arsenal can sign him at £17 million then it will undoubtedly be a bargain but a lot of talented players have fallen prey to the ferocity of the Premier League and with Arsenal desperate to get back into the Champions League, Albert Lokonga will have no time to get a feeler at the Emirates Stadium.
