Arsenal are reportedly open to letting one of their most recent signings leave on a permanent transfer after AC Milan opened talks.
The report goes on to state that Arsenal would be willing to sanction the sale due to the fact they can’t promise him a regular role in midfield as they go shopping for another central midfielder.
The Gunners are on playing the long game regarding a move for Youri Tielemans and have already bagged Oleksandr Zinchenko, who is open to playing a more central role.
When you partner that with the fact Arsenal are struggling to get rid of Ainsley Maitland-Niles, it becomes clear that someone in midfield may need to move on.
But the potential for that to be Lokonga seems surprising after he was a player sanctioned by Arteta and Edu last summer when he signed from Anderlecht for £16m.
The 22-year-old made 19 appearances in the Premier League last season but the majority of those were forced due to the lengthy injury suffered by Thomas Partey.
Towards the end of the campaign the Belgian spent the majority of his time on the Arsenal bench as an unused substitute, with many appreciating he’s still a developing young player.
For me personally, this feels like a rumour that has no legs, with Arteta happy with the player and Lokonga desperate to feature for the club as a mainstay for many years to come.
The only way this could work out is if AC Milan are prepared to offer Lokonga a starting role and he see’s the short-term gains over the long-term potential.