Arsenal reject €8m Sambi Lokonga bid

Robin Bairner

• 27 Jan 2023 14:16 GMT
• 3 min read

Arsenal may be chasing a central midfielder in the final days of the January transfer window, but Mikel Arteta is also fighting to keep his existing squad together.

Indeed, it is reported in France that Arsenal have rejected a cheeky €8 million offer from Monaco for Albert Sambi Lokonga.

The Ligue 1 side are expected to offload Jean Lucas this month, creating a void in their group of midfielders, which was headlined by Aurelien Tchouameni until he made a €100m move to Real Madrid in the summer.

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Nevertheless, FootMercato reports that they have offered the Gunners just €8m for a player that they signed for €17.5m just 18 months ago.

FootballTransfers give Sambi Lokonga an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) around the €11m mark with his maximum value coming out at €14m. This tallies with what has been a disappointing spell at the Emirates to date for the 23-year-old, who is under contract with Arsenal until 2026.

He has played only 14 times this season, including less than 200 minutes in the Premier League. He has just 38 appearances in his Arsenal career.

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Equally, Monaco’s first approach appears to be a low-ball offer designed to test the Premier League leaders’ resolve.

Having sold Benoit Badiashile to Chelsea for €38m earlier this month, on top of that monster deal they completed for Tchouameni in the summer, the Stade Louis II club certainly have greater spending power than this offer would suggest.

Caicedo in, Sambi Lokonga out at Arsenal?

Indeed, Sambi Lokonga’s future may well be tied to that of Moises Caicedo. Arsenal had a £60 million bid for the Brighton midfielder rejected on Friday, but it is expected that they will return with an improved offer.

Should the Gunners complete a move for the Ecuador international, it will see Sambi Lokonga drop further down the pecking order.

Although Arteta has indicated concerns over his depth in midfield following an injury to Mohamed Elneny, it may well be that if Caicedo joins the Gunners and Monaco come back with a more reasonable offer, Sambi Lokonga could be on the move before the close of the transfer window.