Albert Sambi Lokonga has revealed his plans for next season with it looking likely that he will be a casualty of an Arsenal midfield overhaul this summer.
With Kai Havertz completing a £65 million transfer from Chelsea last week and subsequently listed as a midfielder on the club's official website, it would appear that he will be taking up one of the two advanced roles in the engine room - perhaps alongside captain Martin Odegaard in the Gunners' best starting XI.
This was one of two positions that Lokonga occupied during the first half of last season and with Arsenal close to sealing a club-record £105m deal for Declan Rice, very soon options in the number six role - that already includes Thomas Partey, Jorginho and Mohamed Elneny - will increase.
Having recognised that opportunities were to be limited following the Gunners' FA Cup elimination at the fourth round stage and the arrival of Jorginho, the 23-year-old spent the second half of last season on loan at Crystal Palace but struggled for game time once Patrick Vieira was sacked at the end of March and subsequently replaced by Roy Hodgson.
Now, with the European Championships taking place at the end of next season, the midfielder needs to be playing regularly if he's to have any chance of making the Belgium squad and has revealed that will be his one condition if he is to depart Arsenal once again- whether that be a loan or permanent move.
"I don't know, I will try to go somewhere where I can play," Lokonga said in an interview that has surfaced on YouTube as spotted by some eagle-eyed supporters on Reddit. "That's the most important thing for me. To try to play some games and to play game after game."
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Recent reports have claimed that Burnley manager Vincent Kompany, who actually suggested the signing of Lokonga to Mikel Arteta a couple of summers ago having talked him up as the 'new Yaya Toure', is eyeing a reunion with the 23-year-old with the Clarets back in the Premier League.
Were the Gunners to grant a move to Turf Moor - whether it be a permanent deal or a loan spell - it would be easy to understand why that decision is made considering the midfield depth which could yet be bolstered even further amid continued links to Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia.
But unless a move is agreed before the end of the week, Lokonga is set to report to London Colney for pre-season training along with the likes of fellow recalled loanees such as Nicolas Pepe, Arthur Okonkwo and Cedric Soares as none of which had any international commitments last month.
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