Arsenal have €15m Albert Lokonga bid rejected by Anderlecht

Arsenal have been knocked back by Anderlecht with an opening offer of more than €15m rejected for highly regarded midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga. The Belgian side are holding out for more.

It may have felt like the summer transfer window has been active for months but less than one week into it opening Arsenal are moving closer to making their first acquisition. They’re not there yet, however.

Midfield is set for an almighty gutting with a total makeover seeing anywhere up to five of the six on the books departing. Granit Xhaka is inching closer to Roma, so too Matteo Guendouzi to Marseille, and Lucas Torreira will join them…somewhere. Joe Willock may go at the right price and if an upgrade can be sourced, Mohamed Elneny could bid farewell.

Mikel Arteta needs reinforcements. Not just first team starters but indeed bodies to come and fill the numbers, develop at the club and compete for a starting berth. Albert Sambi Lokonga fits that profile.

Arsenal have €15m Albert Lokonga bid rejected by Anderlecht with Belgian side chasing €20m in summer transfer window

The Anderlecht midfielder is only 21 years old but already been handed the captain’s armband by Vincent Kompany, and is on the standby list for Belgium’s exceptionally talented Euro 2020 squad.

Listed as someone the club have been taking a close look at, further reports in England added that the Gunners have been watching Lokonga for a number of years, enamoured by his style of potential. They’ve finally put their money where their mouth is.

As per the ever-reliable Belgian journalist Kristof Terreur of HLN and picked up by The Athletic, Arsenal offered ‘more than €15m’ with bonuses included but have seen that bid knocked back.

That offer has been rejected with the Belgian side hoping for €20m worth of guaranteed money. With Arsenal’s first bid it’s unsure how much was upfront and just how probable said bonuses were to coming to fruition.

The other reason that Anderlecht turned down the Gunners’ offer is because of the interest elsewhere. Lokonga is courted by sides across Europe, with particular interest from France and Germany. The 34-time Belgian title winners are confident of getting the fee they’re after.

However, he will be departing. The 21-year-old is listed as ‘inevitable’ to leave a club who are resigned to his sale. They understand he is one of the finest midfield talents in the country and if their valuation is met then they will be happy to sanction his sale.

Will Arsenal come back with another bite of the cherry and can they be successful, though?

Continued…

Arsenal Will Return With Second Albert Sambi Lokonga Bid

Arsenal look to be in pole position to sign Lokonga and after years of tracking the player there is a strong feeling that they will not let this one slip, especially with a small margin between ‘more than €15m’ and Anderlecht’s €20m asking price. If they want the player they should be able to sign him.

Scouts who’ve been monitoring his progress see him as an ‘ideal reinforcement’ to inject life and energy into a stale area of the pitch. Lokonga is dynamic, technically astute, and a strong progressor of the ball, all of which has caught Arteta’s eye. The manager wants to work with him and make him a Premier League star.

Thierry Henry also had his say on the matter, with numerous reports revealing he had almost acted as an intermediary in discussions, due to his standing within Arsenal, close friendship with Kompany and first hand experience coaching Lokonga with the Belgian national team.

When Lokonga moves is as soon as someone meets Anderlecht’s valuation. Simple as that. Arsenal have tried to undercut it somewhat but his price has been set and the sooner the club stops tip-toeing around the odd penny (about €5m pennies) they’ll have their man.

Whereas interest in Ruben Neves remains strong, his arrival would constitute a replacement for Xhaka, while Lokonga is seen as the backup competition for Thomas Partey.

What the midfielder has is exceptional athleticism across of the park, making him agile enough to weave through challenges and mobile enough to perform a box-to-box role at great speed.

On the ball Lokonga has a very high technical level that can improve further with a new environment to develop; his first touch could use some work but his body movements are excellent in breaking the press and carrying the ball through the thirds, where another area of his game, final third decision making, can use some work.

Some rough edges but what is best about Lokonga is that all of those are malleable. With work he can improve on all his deficiencies while his best qualities have a rawness to them which is both natural and instinctive. An exciting young player and an addition with an eye on a rebuild. Some more smart business.