Footie Central | Football Blog Blogging the football world 
Flamengo defender Pablo Mari has arrived in London to try to finalise a move to Arsenal.
The 26 year old Spaniard is expected to hold further talks with the Gunners, ahead of a medical, with the club hoping to agree a short- term loan deal with an option to buy at the end of the season, although separate reports suggest that a permanent deal is also in the offing.
Arsenal are in the market for defensive reinforcements since Calum Chambers was ruled out for the rest of the season with an ACL injury.
They have been linked with a series of players including Jerome Boateng of Bayern Munich and Dayot Upamecano, but Mari represents a cheaper option.
He has previous experience of the Premier League as well having signed for Manchester City in 2016. He never played for them though and went on loan to Spain and the Netherlands before signing for Flamengo last July.
He played for the South American champions against Liverpool in the Club World Cup final last December.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.