Arsenal make £14.5m offer after agreeing personal terms with 21-year-old star

Arsenal have made an offer worth £14.5m for Albert Sambi Lokonga and have already agreed personal terms with the Anderlecht midfielder, according to reports in Belgium.

Gunners boss Mikel Arteta is under pressure to overhaul his squad this summer after guiding Arsenal to another eighth placed finish in the Premier League last season which saw them miss out on European qualification for the first time in 25 years.

The Spaniard is expected to make plenty of changes in midfield as Granit Xhaka is set for a move to Italy while Dani Ceballos has returned to Real Madrid after his loan spell came to an end and he’s indicated he wants to remain in Spain.

Lucas Torreira, Joe Willock, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Matteo Guendouzi are also being tipped to leave Arsenal over the coming weeks so Arteta needs midfield reinforcements and Lokonga has emerged as a prime target.

Having seen an opening offer turned down by Anderlecht, Belgian outlet Nieuwsblad claims Arsenal are now offering to pay £12m [€14m] up front plus £2.5m [€3m] in bonuses for Lokonga’s signature.

The newspaper says Arsenal have already agreed personal terms with the 21-year-old over a long-term contract and Lokonga is keen to move to the Emirates despite interest from several other European clubs.

However, with so much interest being shown in the Belgian youngster, Anderlecht are expected to hold out for more with the Metro suggesting they’re confident they can obtain a fee closer to £20m.

We’ll have to wait and see how Anderlecht respond to Arsenal’s new offer but it looks like the Gunners are pushing to get a deal agreed and Lokonga would be an exciting long-term addition to Arteta’s squad.

The midfielder has been with Anderlecht his entire career having come through their youth academy and despite his young age, he captained the side during the closing stages of last season.

The 6ft star trained with the senior Belgian squad ahead of the Euro’s and is seen as one of the countries most promising young talents. Lokonga is known for his athleticism and ball carrying ability so he’s probably seen as a back-up to Thomas Partey rather than as a replacement for Xhaka.