Report: Club now convinced Arsenal are going to sign their captain, deal could happen very soon

By John Verrall

Anderlecht now expect Arsenal’s move for Albert Sambi Lokonga to go through ‘imminently’, the Telegraph report.

Arsenal and Anderlecht have been negotiating a fee for Lokonga for some time now.

However, talks have not progressed particularly swiftly.

Arsenal and Anderlecht appear to be just millions apart in their valuations of the midfielder.

And it seems that a breakthrough is now very close, which will be a relief for Arsenal fans.

In terms of a fee it is claimed that Arsenal will pay between £15 to £20 million for the 22-year-old.

If the price does reach that upper figure, then it may be more than Arsenal initially wanted to pay.

Leadership important

However, Lokonga could still be an important addition to the Gunners’ side for the years ahead.

At 22, Lokonga has already worn the captain’s armband for Anderlecht and his influence must be appealing to an Arsenal side which is only set to get younger.

There is no doubting that by moving to Arsenal, Lokonga will be making a serious step up though, and it may take him some time to settle in.

While Lokonga is likely to receive plenty of game time this season, he simply cannot be expected to hit the ground running immediately.

And it will be up to Mikel Arteta to manage him carefully, with the transfer seemingly on the verge of going through now.