Arsenal are on the verge of completing a deal to sign Anderlecht midfielder Albert Samuel Lokonga.
A medical has been scheduled, with Lokonga already having agreed personal terms ona five-year deal.
A fee of £15 million plus add-ons has been agreed with the Belgian club, with the sticking point as to how much of any future sale Anderlecht would be entitled to close to resolution.
Lokonga was left out of Anderlecht’s pre-season training squad and publicity shots in anticipation of the move.
The 21-year old is viewed as one for the future, despite the fact that he captained the Belgian side in the second half of last season.
With Granit Xhaka set to complete his long-expected move to Roma in the next few days, the Gunners are likely to want a more experienced option to play alongside Thomas Partey in central mifdfield next season, whilst Lokonga gets used to the demands of the Premierr League.
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.