Luton linked with shock deadline day move for Arsenal's Belgian international midfielder Lokonga

Luton have been linked with a surprise deadline day move for Arsenal’s Belgian international midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga.

The 23-year-old came through Anderlecht's youth academy, making his senior debut for the club in 2017, going on to play over 71 times, scoring three goals, before a £17.2m switch to the Gunners in July 2021.

He made his Premier League debut in a 2-0 defeat at Brentford, going on to play 25 times in all competitions during his first season at the Emirates.

Last year Lokonga featured mainly in the Europa League and domestic cup matches for Mikel Arteta’s team, before heading to Crystal Palace on loan in January, where he managed nine top flight outings.

The midfielder had played for his country at U17, U19 and U21 level, before a full cap in September 2021, replacing Eden Hazard in the 5-2 World Cup qualifying win in Estonia.

After not making the squad for any of the Gunners’ opening matches this season, Lokonga, who has featured 39 times in total for the north London club, had been linked with moves to Liverpool, Galatasaray, Brighton and Burnley during this window,

Boss Rob Edwards admitted yesterday the Hatters are still in the market for a defensive midfielder, as the Daily Telegraph is now reporting that talks are going ahead to see if they can add the Arsenal player to their squad for the rest of the season.