Vincent Kompany has now told Bayern Munich to target the transfer of an Arsenal player whom the new FCB manager once told Mikel Arteta is the ‘new Yaya Toure’.
Allianz Arena chiefs are already hard at work looking to reshape their squad after appointing Kompany this Wednesday. The Bundesliga powerhouse raided Burnley to hire the Belgian to replace Thomas Tuchel. He also signed a three-year contract despite the Clarets’ relegation.
One potential shop Kompany may now look to plunder is Arsenal with Bayern Munich eying multiple swoops on Emirates Stadium. The Bavarian giants are already exploring a potential move for Bayern Munich to sign Oleksandr Zinchenko, but also want another Arsenal player.
Vincent Kompany tells Bayern Munich to target Albert Sambi Lokonga’s transfer from Arsenal
That is according to Football Transfers, which reports that Kompany has told Bayern Munich to target the transfer of Arsenal outcast Albert Sambi Lokonga. He is keen to help revive the 24-year-old’s career after seeing him struggle since leaving RSC Anderlecht for the Gunners.
Lokonga played under Kompany and even served as the Jupiler Pro League team’s captain in his last season there. Arsenal paid Anderlecht an initial £15m for Lokonga, rising up to £17m with add-ons, in July 2021. Yet he has only managed to make 39 appearances under Arteta.
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Arsenal even loaned Lokonga to Crystal Palace in 2023 before he spent the 2023/24 term at Luton Town. Now, Kompany has urged Bayern Munich sporting CEO Max Eberl and sporting director Christoph Freund to contact Arsenal and discuss another loan transfer for Lokonga.
But Emirates Stadium chiefs are insistent that he will only leave north London this summer in a permanent transfer. He has two years remaining on the £50k-a-week contract Lokonga signed to join Arsenal in 2021. The Verviers native has also recently stated that he will leave.
Vincent Kompany told Mikel Arteta that Albert Sambi Lokonga is the ‘new Yaya Toure’
The Belgian confirmed after he endured relegation from the Premier League with Luton that Lokonga agrees with Arsenal that the ‘best thing’ for him is to leave the club. He featured in 17 of the Hatters’ top-flight games and started 16 following two lengthy spells out for injury.
But while his career has not gone swimmingly since leaving Anderlecht for Arsenal, Lokonga has a huge admirer in new Bayern Munich coach Kompany. The former Manchester City star also told Arteta what a big talent his fellow Belgian was before Kompany left Etihad Stadium.
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Kompany told Five in November 2021: “When I was still a player for City, I was coming to a point where I was thinking about my future. Management? Carry on? Sign a new deal?
“I was watching football from different countries, different places. And I saw Sambi play his first game, his first two games [and] then he got an injury to his knee.
“But the first thing I did when I saw Sambi is I went to Mikel and said, ‘You’ve got to watch this guy, he’s the new Yaya Toure’.”