Mikel Arteta signing reveals he wants to leave Arsenal in summer transfer window
He has no interest in staying on with the Gunners beyond the end of the season.
Albert Sambi Lokonga admits he is keen to complete a permanent transfer move from Arsenal to Sevilla at the end of the season.
Lokonga joined Arsenal in a £17million deal from Anderlecht in 2021 and the midfielder enjoyed a promising debut season in north London, making 24 appearances in all competitions.
But fierce competition for places meant regular starts were few and far between under Mikel Arteta and Lokonga was sent on loan to London rivals Crystal Palace for the second half of the 2022/23 campaign.
A temporary move to Luton followed Lokonga’s spell with Palace and the 25-year-old midfielder was one of the few shining lights in a struggling team, earning himself a season-long loan switch to Sevilla last summer.
For the first time since his remarkable breakthrough at Anderlecht, the club he captained at the age of 21, Lokonga is seriously enjoying his football again, establishing himself as a key player at the base of Garcia Pimienta’s midfield.
And while Lokonga still has 18 months remaining on his contract with Arsenal, it appears he has little interest in staying on with the Gunners beyond the summer.
‘I feel very good [at Sevilla]. I’m growing and I feel better with each game,’ Lokonga told Spanish publication Muchodeporte.
‘Since leaving Anderlecht, Sevilla is the club where I feel very, very good.
‘I want to stay but it’s not just my decision.
‘It’s early days and we’ll see each other at the end of the season.’
Reports last summer stated that Sevilla have an option in their loan deal for Lokonga to buy the Belgian outright for a fee of €12m (£10m) at the end of the season.
It remains to be be seen if the La Liga outfit will activate that clause when the 2024/25 campaign comes to a close.
Sevilla have endured a difficult run of results of late, picking up just one win from their last six games in all competitions, and a daunting task awaits Lokonga and Co against Barcelona this weekend.
But Lokonga insists the dressing room remains ‘calm’ whatever the situation, despite the club sitting 12th in La Liga and facing a battle to secure European qualification.
‘We shouldn’t talk about Europe at the moment. We have to search and find our best level every day because we have a lot of potential,’ he added.
‘When it’s over, we’ll see where we are. The dressing room is always calm.
‘We are sure that we have a good team and the youth team can help us. We are confident because we have quality players.’
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