Arsenal reportedly plan to do away with Albert Sambi Lokonga for good when the summer transfer window rolls around.
The Belgium international arrived at the Emirates with high expectations in the summer of 2021, having served as captain of Vincent Kompany's Anderlecht at a young age.
Lokonga made a strong impression in his first pre-season at Arsenal and was a regular under Mikel Arteta in the 2021-22 season, but Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka's midfield partnership soon became unbreakable, and his minutes limited in the first half of the 2022-23 season.
A loan spell at Crystal Palace did not reignite his career either, and having been bumped further down the Arsenal pecking order by the arrivals of Declan Rice and Kai Havertz, Lokonga joined Premier League new boys Luton Town on loan for the 2023-24 campaign.
Since recovering from injury, the 24-year-old has been instrumental to Luton's recent revival, starting each of their last six Premier League matches and recording two assists in the process.
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Lokonga will return to Arsenal once the season is done and dusted, and it was reported that the Gunners were ready to give the Belgian a second chance at the Emirates, where his contract runs until 2026.
However, Football Insider now claims that Lokonga has no future at Arsenal while Arteta is in charge, and the North London club want to offload him permanently ahead of the 2024-25 season.
The report alleges that Arsenal have been losing patience with the former Anderlecht man, and they will entertain bids for him this summer regardless of whether he is able to keep up his strong form at Kenilworth Road.
A swift exit for Lokonga would see his unsuccessful Arsenal spell end after just 39 appearances for the Gunners, during which time he has failed to register a single goal or assist.
The midfielder made the first XI on 12 occasions in the 2021-22 Premier League season and started each of their six Europa League group games last season, but his last top-flight appearance for Arteta's side came all the way back in October 2022 against Tottenham Hotspur.
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Despite splashing out £170m on the signatures of Rice and Havertz last summer, another midfield reshuffle could be on the cards for Arsenal in the upcoming window, as a handful of ageing midfielders are expected to depart.
Jorginho and Mohamed Elneny are both in the final six months of their contracts and have only been bit-part performers for Arteta in the current campaign, making extensions - even short-term ones - unlikely.
Partey, meanwhile, has a little under 18 months left to run on his deal, and the Ghana international could also be sold after his perpetual injury problems reared their ugly heads once again.
Partey was key to Arsenal's title charge in 2022-23 and stayed with the club over the summer amid interest from Juventus and Saudi Arabia, but he has only made five appearances in all tournaments during the current campaign.
On Friday, Arteta revealed that Partey had suffered a setback in his recovery from thigh surgery, meaning that the midfielder will miss Sunday's blockbuster Premier League clash with table-toppers Liverpool.
Ben Knapton
