Arsenal’s Albert Sambi Lokonga was one of eight senior players to return to first-team training at London Colney on Monday, but the midfielder may not be around for too long.
Speaking in a recent interview on YouTube, Lokonga hinted that he could make a summer move in search of minutes.
“I don’t know, I will try to go somewhere I will play,” Lokonga said of his plans for next season. “That’s the most important thing, to have some games and play game after game.”
A recent report from Alan Nixon suggested that Arsenal are trying to sell Lokonga to Burnley, and the promoted Premier League side would ideally like to buy the midfielder.
But the two sides are finding it hard to complete the deal, and it’s suggested that a loan may be the eventual solution.
Regardless of the nature of the deal, Nixon claimed Lokonga is now closing in on the move.
That wasn’t the first report linking Lokonga with a move, with the Evening Standard recently writing that the Belgian is set to leave Arsenal this summer, after spending the second half of last season with Crystal Palace on loan.
Burnley are tracking the Arsenal midfielder closely, with manager Vincent Kompany knowing the player well from their time together at Anderlecht.
The Daily Mail also recently confirmed that Burnley are interested in Lokonga this summer, with the Gunners willing to consider another loan for the Belgian midfielder.
Sevilla were another club chasing Lokonga going into the summer, but that was before sporting director Monchi left for Aston Villa. It’s not clear how that departure might have affected their interest.
Arsenal signed Lokonga from Anderlecht for around £15m plus add-ons in 2021, and he made a relatively bright start to life with the club.
But after largely dropping out of Mikel Arteta’s team in the second half of 2021/22, and failing to see much of a change in the first half of the most recent campaign, the midfielder went out on loan to Crystal Palace.
Lokonga had a mixed time out on loan, initially playing a regular role in the Palace side before dropping back to the bench in the final couple of months.
In all, the Belgian international made nine appearances for Palace. Though his chances at the club weren’t helped by the departure of the manager who brought him in – Patrick Vieira.
Arsenal are pushing for midfield signings in the current window, with plenty of high-profile players linked with a move.
So despite reports of potential departures for the likes of Granit Xhaka, the pathway to minutes for Lokonga under Arteta seems to be congested.