Player flying to London to complete £4.2m Arsenal move, medical already done

The January transfer window is drawing to a close so we’ll bring you all the latest news and gossip from around the globe. Today, Arsenal have agreed a deal to sign Pablo Mari…

Pablo Mari is heading back to London to complete a £4.2m loan move to Arsenal after a deal was finally agreed with Flamengo on Tuesday, according to Brazilian outlet GloboSporte.

Mikel Arteta has been desperately trying to land a new centre-back this month after Calum Chambers was ruled out for the rest of the season with a knee ligament injury and Mari emerged as a prime target last week.

The 26-year-old was spotted arriving at London Heathrow Airport with Arsenal director Edu on Saturday afternoon and the Daily Mail claim he completed his medical before flying back to Brazil on Sunday night.

The proposed deal looked to have stalled amid reports Arsenal only wanted to sign Mari on a simple loan deal while Flamengo were determined to push through a permanent sale this month.

However, a breakthrough in talks was found on Tuesday and GloboSporte claim Mari is now travelling back to London to complete his move to Arsenal today after Flamengo agreed to let the defender leave on a six-month loan.

The Brazilian outlet says Arsenal will pay a £4.2m loan fee and will have the option to make the deal permanent in the summer for an undisclosed fee. Flamengo finally agreed terms after signing Léo Pereira from Atlético Pereira as a direct replacement yesterday.

GloboSporte says Mari has already completed his medical tests so the deal is expected to be formally announced at some point today once the player arrives in London to put the finishing touches on the move.

The Daily Mail are one of several British media outlets also running this story so it looks like Mari is set to become Arteta’s first signing since arriving as Unai Emery’s permanent replacement in December.

Mari is a left-footed centre-back so he’ll give us some much-needed balance at the back and at 6ft 3″ he’ll also provide a real aerial presence – something that’s been lacking in recent years.

The Spaniard spent three years at Manchester City but failed to make a first team appearance before joining Flamengo in 2018. He’s flourished in South America after winning the Brazilian Serie A title and the Copa Libertadores last year while he impressed during Flamengo’s narrow 1-0 defeat to Liverpool in the Club World Cup final last month.