Arsenal
Medical complete, paperwork signed: Arsenal set to announce 2nd summer signing
Albert Lokonga undertook his medical in London on Wednesday. Paperwork has now been signed between Arsenal and Anderlecht
Anderlecht midfielder Albert Lokonga has undergone his medical in London and will be unveiled as Arsenal’s second signing of the summer window soon, according to reports.
Mikel Arteta is in the market for midfield reinforcements this summer as Dani Ceballos and Martin Odegaard have returned to Real Madrid, Matteo Guendouzi has joined Marseille while Granit Xhaka and Lucas Torreira are also expected to depart.
Lokonga has been widely touted as one of Arsenal’s prime targets and after weeks of talks, Voetbalkrant reported last week that the player was expected to travel to London to finalise his move to the Emirates after a fee was agreed with Anderlecht.
The 21-year-old has been in quarantine following his arrival from Belgium but it appears he’s out of isolation as Sport1 journalist Patrick Berger claims Lokonga completed his medical checks in London on Wednesday.
Berger says the formalities are now being finalised with Lokonga set to sign a five-year contract and Arsenal will pay Anderlecht an initial fee of £15m [€17.5m] for his signature.
Fabrizio Romano has also provided an update on the situation and the Guardian journalist says Lokonga can now be considered ‘an Arsenal player’ after the paperwork was signed between the two clubs.
Romano says an official announcement is expected ‘soon’ so Lokonga is set to be confirmed as Arsenal’s second summer signing following the arrival of left-back Nuno Tavares from Benfica last week.
Lokonga should prove to be an exciting long-term addition to Arteta’s squad as he’s developed into one of the most highly-rated young players in Belgian football since breaking into the Anderlecht first team two years ago.
The 21-year-old has already captained the side, despite his young age, and was on the standby list for Belgium’s Euro 2020 squad this summer so it sounds like he has a bright future ahead of him.
The 6ft midfielder is known for his excellent passing range and his ability to dictate the game from deep so Arteta could be bringing him in as a long-term replacement for Xhaka – who’s expected to move to Italy this summer.
