Sevilla have agree some of the terms of a loan deal with Arsenal for Albert Sambi Lokonga, but now want the Gunners to drop their demands for a mandatory purchase clause to be included in it.
That’s according to COPE, who cover the situation today and say one stage of negotiations has already been dealt with successfully.
Reports over the last 24 hours have seen Sevilla turn their attention to the midfielder, explaining they’re seeing him as an option to reinforce their squad this summer and have opened talks with Arsenal over a potential loan deal.
Those talks were said to be progressing, but Arsenal were playing tough, insisting that a mandatory purchase clause be included in the agreement for next summer.
Sevilla are reluctant to sign up to such a deal as their finances are tight and they can’t commit to a player they can’t guarantee will be a success.
COPE pick up on that and explain Sevilla director of football Victor Orta is working with Arsenal on a loan deal.
He’s already agreed that Sevilla will pay Lokonga’s wages during his time at Sevilla, which are €3m gross per season, but now they have to agree on a purchase clause. Arsenal want it to be mandatory, Sevilla want it to an option and the Gunners to be ‘more flexible’.
The danger for Arsenal, though, is that they agree to such a deal and then find in a year’s time that Sevilla have no intention of buying the midfielder.
They, and Orta, have something of a history of signing up to loan deals with options and never actually using that option but spending the entirety of the next summer trying to negotiate that clause downwards and then, often, walking away entirely.
Arsenal will probably be aware of that, and keen to avoid being caught in something similar, hence their current strict desire for that clause to be mandatory.
