Arsenal: 3 most concrete summer transfer links so far

The transfer window. A period of absolute agony coupled with uncontrollable excitement. Well, some of the time, and if you’re of an Arsenal affiliation what has transpired so far might be harder to pinpoint. The Gunners have been linked with pretty much everyone.

With that comes dissection. Filtering through the crap, crappier and a little bit less crap of the transfer rumours, we try to piece together what feels like it may come to fruition and what is mere paper talk designed to put A and B together to get everyone talking.

In the case of Arsenal it’s no surprise that there have been such an outstanding number of links bubbling to the surface. Primed and ready for a full scale rebuild, the fact the club are after near enough every single position on the pitch makes them a prime target for speculation.

Needing a goalkeeper – maybe two – a left-back, a right-back, a centre-back, a couple of midfielders, a playmaker and possibly even a striker, the options available become endless.

Arsenal: 3 most concrete summer transfer links so far as Mikel Arteta eyes major squad overhaul this window

With the window barely a week old and with 11 more to come, there have been some links that have got the pulses going and some that, despite being reliably reported, have raised a few eyebrows.

Mikel Arteta made it clear that he wanted to get his business done early this window just like the rest of the world, but that the European Championships would put a hold on much of the activity. Nonetheless, there have been three names so far to emerge that are more concrete than the rest, and those fans should be keeping a close eye on.

While it isn’t Arsenal’s forte to get anything done quickly, a few of the following names have been gathering some momentum this summer and could be, if not concluded, at least acted upon sooner rather than later.

In some cases, if the club don’t get their act together they could miss out entirely.

1. Albert Sambi Lokonga

Club: Anderlecht
Age: 21
Price: £17m

Most can be forgiven for not knowing a great deal about Albert Sambi Lokonga until about two weeks ago and the Belgian press started linking Arsenal with the midfielder. Since then, he’s either fallen into the ‘smart business’ category or the ‘not going to help us now so what’s the point’ section.

The club aren’t undecided on him though, and an opening bid of around £13m has been lodged for the Belgian.

Lokonga is attracting interest from across Europe but Arsenal have been keeping close tabs for going on years now. As one reporter from The Athletic said, he’s been tracked for a ‘loooooong’ time.

Of course not a Granit Xhaka replacement, the 21-year-old should instead be considered as more of a Matteo Guendouzi alternative. The Frenchman will leave this summer as soon as Arsenal see their valuation met, and Lokonga coming in could be considered as that gap being filled. Still young with plenty of developing to go, of the Thomas Partey ilk he could be nurtured under the Ghanaian and shown the ropes, as it were.

With one bid turned down and Anderlecht wanting about another £4m more, not only are these links concrete, they appear to be nearing a conclusion.