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Arsenal have had an initial bid for Anderlecht midfielder Albert Samuel Lokonga rebuffed by the Belgian club.
The Gunners made an initial offer of £13.5 million for the 21-year-old, but Anderlecht want closer to £18 million. Talks are continuing between the two clubs and there is optimism that a deal can be reached.
Arsenal have made strengthening central midfield a priority this summer, as they look for somebody to play alongside Thomas Partey.
Dani Ceballos has returned to Real Madrid after completing his second loan spell, whilst Granit Xhaka is close to completing a move to Roma, although negotiations are currently stalled because of a difference in valuation between the two clubs.
Lokonga came through the youth ranks at Anderlecht making hs debut for them as an 18-year old in 2017.
He has gone on top make 69 a[appearances for them in the Belgian First Division scoring three times.
In addition, he has six caps for the Belgium under-21 side.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.