According to Belgian journalist Kristof Terreur, Arsenal have had a €14 million-plus bonuses bid rejected for key target Albert Sambi Lokonga. Nevertheless, Lokonga’s parent club Anderlecht is waiting for the Gunners to return with a third offer, much closer to their current valuation of €20 million.
There is the belief that Arsenal will manage to get the deal over the line, with the Gunners currently the only club pushing for Lokonga’s signature. There is also not a considerable gap between what the North London club is offering and what Anderlecht is demanding. As such, an agreement could be closed in the coming weeks. The Belgian outfit needs to sell players to balance books, and Lokonga is being eyed as an opportunity to do the same. Meanwhile, the player himself has agreed to terms with Arsenal.
21-year-old Lokonga is a box-to-box midfield player whose first appearance for Anderlecht came four years ago. The youngster has struggled with persistent injury problems in recent years, but the previous campaign was by far his most successful. Lokonga made 37 appearances for Vincent Kompany’s team in 2020/21 and scored three goals. He was also occasionally handed the captain’s armband despite being one of the younger members of the squad.
Arsenal have been active in the transfer market so far, even if they haven’t managed to get a deal over the line. The Gunners lost the battle for Norwich City’s Emiliano Buendia to Aston Villa and are also faced with disappointment in their pursuit of Martin Odegaard.
However, Mikel Arteta and his technical staff have identified players for some key positions. Brighton’s Ben White is thought to be an important target for the centre-back position after the departure of David Luiz. Meanwhile, the club is also said to be keen on Leicester City star James Maddison.
