Footie Central | Football Blog Blogging the football world
Arsenal are reported to have reached full agreement with Sao Paolo over the transfer of winger Marquinhos.
The Gunners will pay £2.9 million for the teenager who is set to sign a deal until 2027 at the Emirates.
Marquinhos had a £45 million release clause in his current contract, but that has now been declared illegal in Brazil under what is known as the Pelé clause which forbids clubs typing players to long-term professional deals when they are still under-age.
With the teenager refusing to sign a new contract, they faced losing him for nothing, and were happy to accept the offer from the Gunners because at least they generated some value for him.
He is likely to be sent out on loan next season in order to gain some first-team experience, with La Liga one possibility that is under consideration.
His arrival is likely to be the first in what may become a busy summer at the Emirates.
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.