According to reports, Brighton and Hove Albion have decided that midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga of Arsenal would make a great replacement for Carlos Baleba.
Following Moises Caicedo’s British-record move to Chelsea, the Seagulls are looking for a replacement. They were reportedly making progress in negotiations to acquire Lille’s Baleba for £25.6 million.
Although, according to talkSPORT journalist Alex Crook, a deal to bring Baleba to the Amex has stalled, Brighton have now turned their attention to Arsenal and Belgium center-back Lokonga as a result.
The 23-year-old was expected to succeed at the Emirates after moving there from Anderlecht in 2021, but under Mikel Arteta, he has fallen short of expectations.
Lokonga was on loan to Crystal Palace for the second half of the 2022–23 season and played nine times for the Eagles under Roy Hodgson and Patrick Vieira. Lokonga has played in 39 games for Arsenal without scoring or recording an assist.
The midfielder, whose contract with the Gunners expires in 2026 and prevents him from playing this season due to a muscle injury, is reportedly wanted by Brighton on a temporary loan deal.
Speaking of out-of-favor North London-based midfielders, Tanguy Ndombele, a former member of Tottenham Hotspur, is rumored to reject the opportunity to relaunch his career with Nottingham Forest.
The Frenchman has had an unimpressive four years in North London despite his £53 million transfer to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 2019, which still holds the record for the Lilywhites.
Ndombele played in 40 games while on loan at Napoli last season, helping the Partenopei win the Serie A championship. However, he has yet to take the field in a competitive match for Spurs this season.
Prior to the September transfer deadline, the Lilywhites are looking to offload the 26-year-old. According to RMC Sport, Forest reportedly offered him the chance to sign on for a loan with an obligation to buy in 2024.
Ndombele, however, will reject the Tricky Trees’ approach. He also has no interest in moving to Fenerbahce, and Rennes’ interest is unlikely to result in anything because of their financial worries.
Galatasaray is now thought to be the favorite to sign Ndombele, a £17 million player whose contract expires in the summer of 2025.
Facundo Pellistri, a winger for Manchester United, is reportedly in talks with Sheffield United about a loan move.
The Uruguayan international has played in two of Man United’s opening Premier League games in 2023–24, but he has yet to make his Man United debut, more than two years after moving to Old Trafford from Penarol.
Pellistri has one assist to show for his 12 games in a Red Devils uniform, but he is behind Antony and Jadon Sancho in the pecking order. Marcus Rashford will also likely return to a wide role once Rasmus Hojlund returns from injury.
Erik ten Hag is reportedly pleased with how the youngster is progressing, but the club believes that it is crucial for Pellistri to be playing regular football at this point in his career.
Although talks with the Blades are still ongoing, it might take some time for a deal to be finalized since they only have two loan spots available and will probably want to complete the rest of their summer window plans before committing to the 21-year-old.
Pellistri’s Old Trafford contract is up in the summer of 2025, and it’s unknown if the Red Devils would approve an extension before allowing the young player to go on loan.
Last but not least, negotiations to sign seasoned Juventus defender Leonardo Bonucci are reportedly moving along quite well for Bundesliga surprise package Union Berlin.
The 36-year-old has less than a year left on his contract with the Old Lady and has previously stated that he intends to retire at the conclusion of the 2023–24 campaign.
However, Bonucci’s time in Turin has come to an end after he was left off the roster for both of their opening Serie A games against Atalanta BC and Udinese earlier this month.
The winner of Euro 2020 could thus spend his final season away from his country of origin, and according to Fabrizio Romano, he is in advanced talks about a switch to Union Berlin.
Romano asserts that the remainder of this week will be “critical” for his proposed transfer and that the German team is merely waiting for the “final green light” to make their move.
With 502 games played over two separate stints, Bonucci may leave Juventus with 37 goals and 10 assists to his name. Union Berlin, who finished fourth in the Bundesliga last season, may offer him the chance to play in the Champions League once more.
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