Fabrizio Romano expects Anderlecht midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga to be confirmed as an Arsenal player shortly.
What's the latest transfer news involving Lokonga?
The Gunners have been linked with a move for Lokonga in recent weeks and it now seems that they are on the brink of landing their target.
It was claimed at the start of the week that Arsenal were hopeful of getting the deal wrapped up in the coming days, and it appears that will be the case.
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What did Romano say about Lokonga?
Romano confirmed on The Here We Go Podcast that the transfer is nearly done, and that Lokonga will be moving to the Premier League club once the final details of the contract have been ironed out.
He said: "It’s ‘here we go’ for Albert Sambi Lokonga to Arsenal. The agreement is almost done. It’s just about some final details to be completed with Anderlecht step-by-step, but they are really ready to complete everything and to sign Lokonga on a five-year contract.
"He wanted to join Arsenal because Atalanta made an important bid. They wanted Lokonga but the player said: ‘I want to go to Arsenal’, and so the agreement now is really imminent and he will be a new midfielder for Arsenal."
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Could Lokonga add something that's been missing at Arsenal?
Looking through the Arsenal squad, there does seem to be a lack of leadership at the Emirates at the moment.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang wears the armband for Mikel Arteta's men, but his captaincy has been criticised at times, and he was controversially dropped for the north London Derby in March for disciplinary reasons.
The problem is that there don't seem to be too many obvious candidates to replace him as captain.
Meanwhile, over in Belgium, Lokonga was Anderlecht's captain throughout the second half of the 2020/21 season, despite only turning 21 in October. This indicates that he is very mature for his age, and knows how to lead by example on the pitch, suggesting that he could become a key figure at Arsenal in time due to having this quality in his armoury.
Are there any other transfers in the offing at Arsenal?
The signing of Lokonga could kickstart a busy summer of spending at Arsenal.
The club have reportedly already agreed personal terms with Brighton defender Ben White, while they have also been linked with making another move for Lyon's Houssem Aouar.
Arsenal finished down in eighth place in 2020/21, but it seems that they are keen to make some key additions to their squad this summer so that they can make amends next year.