Arsenal remain favourites to sign Anderlecht midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga, according to the Guardian reporter Fabrizio Romano.

There has been speculation in Italy that both Napoli and Atalanta are trying to muscle in on the deal but Romano thinks the player would want to move to the Gunners if he has the choice:

“Talks between Arsenal and the player’s agents are true. Lokonga is 100% open to join Arsenal, he would love to join Arsenal.”

Anderlecht are believed to want €20m (£17m) for Lokonga, but Arsenal’s last offer was thought to be worth around €17m (£14.6m) with €14m (£12m) being paid upfront.

There doesn’t appear to be a significant gap between the two clubs in terms of the price, but the Gunners’ hesitation could lead to one of the two Italian clubs taking advantage of the situation. Romano believes we will find out more in the coming days about whether his move to the Emirates will be finalised:

“He was contacted by Italian clubs Napoli and Atalanta but he said ‘my priority is Arsenal’. Let’s see if Arsenal decide to complete a deal in the next days.”

It does appear that Lokonga’s switch to Arsenal is not as cut and dry as it was a few days ago, but even so, it seems clear the London club are still leading the race for the 21-year-old’s signature.