Rumoured Burnley target and ex-Crystal Palace loanee left out of Arsenal’s pre-season tour
Mikel Arteta’s side jetted out to the US on Sunday to play three friendlies, starting against a team of MLS All Stars on Wednesday. Further games against Manchester United and Barcelona will follow.
Arteta has named a 27-man squad for the tour, which includes new signings Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber.
But Lokonga, along with Cedric Soares, Thomas Partey, Nicolas Pepe, Reiss Nelson and Emile Smith Rowe, has been left out.
The Gunners have confirmed Smith Rowe has been granted extra time off having recently represented England at the Under-21 European Championships.
Partey, meanwhile, is expected to rejoin the team next week having previously played in Arsenal’s 1-1 draw with Nurnberg last week.
But Lokonga, Soares, Pepe and Nelson will play no part.
“The players who are not part of the squad will be working hard on their fitness and/or recovering from injury,” Arsenal said in a statement.
Last week, Lokonga took to Instagram to clarify why he hadn’t made the trip out to Germany, revealing he’s currently suffering with an injury.
Uploading a picture of himself on a bike machine, Lokonga wrote: “Due to a muscular injury, I’ll sadly not be part of the summer camp with the team in Germany.
“I’m focused now on my recovery to prepare for the season and be ready to help the team at my fullest capacity.”
The development comes amid speculation linking the Clarets with a summer move for the 23-year-old midfielder.
The Belgian international, who played under Vincent Kompany at Anderlecht, made 15 appearances for the Gunners last season and spent the second half of the campaign on loan with Crystal Palace, where the midfielder made a further nine outings.
Addressing his future during a YouTube interview, Lokonga suggested it’s time he got regular minutes under his belt.
“I don’t know, I will try to go somewhere I will play,” he said.
“That’s the most important thing, to have some games and play game after game.”
It’s been reported that Arsenal are willing to sanction a permanent deal for their midfielder, but there’s a strong chance a loan move could also include clauses for a permanent move next summer.
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