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Albert Sambi Lokonga has revealed his intention to secure a permanent transfer from Arsenal to Sevilla at the end of the season.
Lokonga joined Arsenal from Anderlecht in a £17 million deal in 2021 and had a promising debut season in north London, making 24 appearances across all competitions.
However, fierce competition for spots meant regular starts were limited under Mikel Arteta, leading to Lokonga being loaned to Crystal Palace for the second half of the 2022/23 season.
After his stint with Palace, Lokonga had a temporary move to Luton, where he stood out in a struggling team. This earned him a season-long loan to Sevilla last summer.
For the first time since his impressive rise at Anderlecht, where he captained the team at age 21, Lokonga is thoroughly enjoying his football again, becoming a key player in Garcia Pimienta’s midfield.
Although Lokonga still has 18 months left on his Arsenal contract, he appears to have little interest in staying with the Gunners beyond the summer.
‘I feel very good [at Sevilla]. I’m growing and I feel better with each game,’ Lokonga told Spanish publication Muchodeporte.
‘Since leaving Anderlecht, Sevilla is the club where I feel very, very good.
‘I want to stay but it’s not just my decision. ‘It’s early days and we’ll see each other at the end of the season.’
Reports from last summer revealed that Sevilla have an option in their loan deal for Lokonga to purchase the Belgian midfielder outright for €12m (£10m) at the end of the season.
Whether the La Liga side will exercise that clause remains uncertain as the 2024/25 campaign draws to a close.
Sevilla has recently struggled, securing just one win in their last six matches across all competitions, and faces a challenging fixture against Barcelona this weekend.
Despite the team’s position in 12th place in La Liga and the ongoing fight for European qualification, Lokonga maintains that the dressing room remains ‘calm’ in any situation.
‘We shouldn’t talk about Europe at the moment. We have to search and find our best level every day because we have a lot of potential,’ he added.
‘When it’s over, we’ll see where we are. The dressing room is always calm.
‘We are sure that we have a good team and the youth team can help us. We are confident because we have quality players.’
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