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Arsenal are set to complete their first summer signing.
They are ready to pay close to £3 million to Sao Paolo for their 19-year old winger Marquinhos.
The Brazilian club are desperate to avoid losing him for nothing after falling foul of a FIFA ruling.
The highly-rated teenager signed a five year deal with then in 2019, but the sport’s governing body have refused to accept that as being valid, because he was underage at the time. That means, under normal regulations, that agreement is only valid for three years.
Sao Paolo have tried to convince him to sign an extension but he has refused, and. although Wolves and Atlético Madrid have also shown interest, negotiations with the Gunners are at an advanced stage, and terms are expected to be finalised shortly.
Marquinhos’ arrival at the Emirates would appear to be further evidence that Nicolas Pépé’s time in North London is coming to an end.
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.