There will be a lot of movement at Arsenal in the summer transfer window.
Andrea Berta is about to arrive as Arsenal’s new sporting director, and the Italian has a lot of work to do with both, incomings and outgoings.
All eyes will be on who Berta will bring in, but there are quite a few players in the current squad who need to be moved on too.
The incoming director will also have to find solutions for the players who are currently out on loan. Berta’s old club, Atletico Madrid, could do him a favour.
Atletico Madrid and three other clubs want to sign Arsenal’s Albert Sambi Lokonga
Arsenal signed Albert Sambi Lokonga from Anderlecht in the summer of 2021.
The Belgian, hailed as ‘terrific‘ by Mikel Arteta, was viewed as a huge talent at the time. Vincent Kompany even compared Lokonga to Yaya Toure a few years ago. Such was his potential.
However, for one reason or another, Lokonga failed to live up to the hype at Arsenal, and he has been loaned out on three occasions.
First, he spent half a season at Crystal Palace. He played the following campaign for Luton Town before heading to Spain to join Sevilla on loan last summer.
The Spanish side have an option to make his loan move permanent for £10 million, but Vamos mi Sevilla claim that they don’t want to pay that much – even though they are keen to keep him.
Arsenal, for their part, are willing to negotiate a lower fee, but the Gunners could get what they want for the Belgian as there is a lot of interest in him.
The report claims that Atletico Madrid also want to sign Lokonga, as do Villarreal and Sevilla’s fierce local rivals Real Betis.
Lokonga has already made one thing clear about his future
Arsenal will need new midfielders this summer.
Thomas Partey and Jorginho are both expected to leave at the end of their contracts in July. That leaves a big hole in the middle of their park, but Lokonga won’t be the one filling it.
In February, while speaking in Spain, Lokonga claimed that he wants to stay at Sevilla because that is the first club since Anderlecht where he has felt good.
“I feel very good. I’m growing. I feel better with each game. After leaving Anderlecht, Sevilla is the club where I feel very, very good,” he said.
“I want to stay but it’s not just my decision. It’s early days and we’ll see each other at the end of the year.”
