Arsenal playing hardball over midfielder’s transfer despite personal terms being agreed

Albert Sambi Lokonga has reached the end of the road in his Arsenal career

Sevilla and Arsenal have reached an impasse in their talks over a loan move for out-of-favour midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga, with the Gunners insisting some form of obligation to buy clause is added to any deal.

Lokonga and Sevilla have reportedly agreed to personal terms over the loan move but Arsenal are not yet fully on board as they seek some form of guarantee that they can offload the player on a permanent basis.

He has been farmed out on loan by Arsenal for the last 18 months having spent the second half of the 2022/23 season at Crystal Palace before a season-long loan at Luton last term.

Lokonga’s contract with Arsenal runs until the end of June 2026 but Arsenal would prefer to offload the player this summer or have a loan-to-buy arrangement in place.

Reports coming out of Spain suggest that Arsenal are holding up a potential deal with Sevilla to take him on another loan stint.

Sevilla cannot afford to be saddled with an obligatory fee for a player next year and feel that it is too great a gamble to agree to buy the player before the loan deal has even started.

Financial constraints have left Sevilla limited to loan agreements, and although Arsenal are fine with Lokonga returning to a loan following stints at Luton and Crystal Palace, they also want to ensure they can permanently part ways with the player.

In order to do this, they are demanding that the agreement contain a ‘purchase obligation’ at the conclusion of the season. However, Sevilla aren’t in a position to agree to that demand, according to reporters in Spain.

Due to their limited resources, they are unable to ‘mortgage’ their future in order to get a player who has struggled in England.

As a result, negotiations between the clubs haven’t advanced, and as of right now, ‘Arsenal rules’ apply unless a different solution that works for both teams is discovered.

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Lokonga not long for Arsenal and the Premier League

Lokonga has played just 39 matches for Arsenal and is yet to register a goal or an assist for the club in the time he has spent with the Gunners.

He arrived at Arsenal as a promising young player and turned out for the club 23 times in all competitions in his first season, but he has failed to make an impression on Mikel Arteta.

Lokonga believes that a move away from England and the Premier League will help him get his career back on track.

Arsenal still hold all the cards here and Lokonga has to play the waiting game.

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