Arsenal have reached an agreement for Albert Sambi Lokonga to join Sevilla on a season-long loan.
Lokonga joined Arsenal from Anderlecht for a fee of around £17million in 2021 and went on to make 24 appearances in a promising debut season at the Emirates.
But the 24-year-old has struggled to nail down regular playing time under Mikel Arteta and has spent the past 18 months on loan at Crystal Palace and Luton, where he impressed last term.
While Luton suffered relegation from the Premier League, Lokonga received widespread praise for his accomplished performances in the middle of the park alongside Ross Barkley.
However, Arsenal deem Lokonga surplus to requirements for next season – with Jorginho, Thomas Partey, Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard all vying for minutes in the engine room – and the Gunners are keen for the Belgian to go out on loan for a third time in as many years.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Arsenal and Sevilla have now struck a deal for Lokonga, which will see the La Liga outfit cover the midfielder’s salary for the upcoming campaign.
A date has been pencilled in for Lokonga’s medical and Sevilla will have an option to buy the Belgium international outright for a fee of €12m (£10m) next summer.
Arsenal had initially insisted on an obligation-to-buy clause in any potential deal for Lokonga but Sevilla have managed to persuade the north London giants to relax their demands.
Lokonga – who was left out of Belgium’s squad for this summer’s European Championships – still has two years remaining on his current contract with Arsenal.
The former Anderlecht star has made a total of 39 appearances in all competitions for the Gunners and is yet to score for the club.
Last season, Lokonga scored once and registered three assists for Luton in the English top flight.
Speaking to the BBC in May, Lokonga admitted he would likely be on his way out of Arsenal before the 2024/25 season.
‘I had a discussion with Arsenal and the conclusion was the best thing for me was to leave the club,’ he said.
‘Now it’s up to my agent and the club to find something.
‘I still have a contract there, one year plus a one-year option so let’s see what happens.’
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