Report: Arsenal have £12m bid rejected for 21-year-old dynamo; transfer is ‘inevitable’

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Arsenal have reportedly had an opening offer of €15m (£12m) rejected for R.S.C. Anderlecht midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga.

According to Belgian publication HLN, the Gunners have seen their first bid for the midfielder turned down. Anderlecht want a guaranteed fee of €20m (£17m) for Sambi Lokonga, who has been one of the club’s standout performers.

As per the report, a transfer is ‘inevitable’ for Sambi Lokonga this summer, yet it is not yet known whether or not this will be to Arsenal or not another club. HLN state that the 21-year-old is also attracting interest from clubs in Germany and France.

Arsenal need to sign a central midfielder

With both Granit Xhaka and Matteo Guendouzi likely to leave the club in the coming weeks, Arsenal will likely sign a central midfielder or two in the transfer window.

The club have been linked with a slew of names in recent weeks, such as Sassuolo star Manuel Locatelli according to Gazzetta dello Sport and Brighton midfielder Yves Bissouma.

The Athletic also report that RB Leipzig youngster Tyler Adams is also an option for the Gunners.

With Thomas Partey struggling in his first season with Arsenal, signing a midfield partner who can complement the former Atletico Madrid star will be key for Mikel Arteta if he is to succeed next season.

Arsenal can’t allow Sambi Lokonga to slip through their fingers

Following the failures of attempting to sign Emi Buendia and Martin Odegaard, the Gunners’ transfer success this summer has been a huge disappointment. And Arsenal can’t allow this mistake to happen a third time with Sambi Lokonga.

The Belgian international is one of the country’s top prospects coming through in the domestic league.

And with Sambi Lokonga already wearing the captain’s armband multiple times for Anderlecht last season, the Gunners have to go in for the midfielder a second time to secure his services before another club swoops in right under their noses.