Arsenal star greenlights his own exit as Fabrizio Romano confirms Prem move is agreed

Albert Sambi Lokonga is set to join Luton Town from Arsenal, according to Fabrizio Romano, after the midfielder approved the destination.

Lokonga spent the second half of last season on loan at Crystal Palace and has been linked with another move away from Arsenal ever since. Various potential exits have fallen through, until the Luton opportunity arose on deadline day.

According to Fabrizio Romano, the deal for the Premier League newcomers to sign Lokonga has been ‘agreed’, getting the reporter’s signature ‘here we go’ seal of approval.

Lokonga has ‘given his green light’ to Luton, per Romano. The move is believed to be a season-long loan, after which he would return to the Arsenal fold.

Arsenal still have the Belgium international under contract at the Emirates Stadium until 2026. He has made 39 appearances for the club since joining them from Anderlecht in July 2021.

Earlier this summer, Arsenal broke their transfer record to sign Declan Rice from West Ham United. They may have sold Granit Xhaka to Bayer Leverkusen, but they have kept hold of Thomas Partey and Jorginho despite some exit links. Mohamed Elneny is still on the books too.

Therefore, Lokonga would be far down the pecking order at Arsenal. Indeed, he is yet to feature for them since the new season began. In contrast, he should have much more of a chance to get gametime for Luton.

Still only 23 years old, that could be crucial to his development and chances of becoming a long-term success for a club at the higher end of the table.

Since their long-awaited return to the top flight, Luton have also picked up players like Teden Mengi from Manchester United, Ross Barkley from Nice and Tahith Chong from Birmingham City.

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