Sevilla reject transfer option on Premier League loanee

Sevilla look to have already made their first summer transfer decision with Albert Sambi Lokonga set to return to Arsenal.

The Andalucians are battling to avoid being dragged into a relegation scrap in the final weeks of the campaign and there will be a cost-cutting drive in the coming months.

Several players will be sold to ease the ongoing financial issues with no bonus of European qualification to bring in additional revenue.

A decision will also be made on a new permanent head coach following the return of Joaquín Caparrós for his fourth stint at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan as caretaker until the end of the campaign.

Belgium international Lokonga secured a season-long loan move from Arsenal last summer with the 25-year-old not a part of Mikel Arteta’s plans back in North London.

However, injury issues have constantly dogged him in Spain, and the club will not be looking to keep him for the 2025/26 season.

The terms of the original agreement include a £10.2m purchase clause option, but as per reports from the Daily Mirror, a fourth hamstring injury of 2024/25 has ended any chance of Sevilla activating that.

Lokonga will head back to Arsenal in May and he could have already played his final game as part of an uninspiring loan stint in Spain.

Caparrós has not used him in the two games since his arrival, and with his current recovery period set at around 3-4 weeks, his time at the club may already be over.

With Arteta unmoved over his stance on the former Anderlecht star back at the Emirates Stadium, an exit from Arsenal beckons in the months ahead, with Thomas Partey and Jorginho potentially also moving on.

Arteta will wants to bring in fresh faces in his midfield for next season amid a push to sign long-term transfer target Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad.