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Premier League • England

Arsenal set to announce Marquinhos capture with ‘deal finally signed’ and fee confirmed

Marquinhos celebrating

Arsenal are on the verge of announcing the signing of Sao Paulo starlet Marquinhos after every aspect of the deal was completed, a reporter has revealed.

Marquinhos, not to be confused with the PSG captain of the same name, is a 19-year-old attacker. He has played for Sao Paulo since July 2021. However, his time in his native Brazil is about to come to an end.

Arsenal have been heavily linked with the teenager in recent weeks. They are beating Wolves to the transfer, despite their fellow Premier League side feeling they had a pre-agreement beforehand.

Now, with the transfer window open for the Premier League, Arsenal are ready to welcome Marquinhos to their squad.

According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, it is a matter of time before confirmation arrives that the winger is now an Arsenal player.

Romano tweeted: “Deal finally signed between Arsenal and Sao Paulo for Brazilian winger Marquinhos. Everything completed on a permanent deal, €3.5m fee.

“Contract agreed until June 2027 for Marquinhos, born in 2003 and now set to be announced as new [Arsenal] player.”

Arsenal will therefore be paying just under £3m to sign the youngster, who has four goals and three assists from 41 appearances for Sao Paulo.

He has also previously represented Brazil at under-16 and under-17 level. Now, he will be bringing his talents to England.

Marquinhos part of Arsenal attacking evolution

Marquinhos Sao Paulo March 2022

Arsenal’s immediate plan for Marquinhos remains to be seen. They must decide whether he is ready for their first team or not.

Across their attacking line, they have the likes of Gabriel Martinelli, Nicolas Pepe and Bukayo Saka. They have also confirmed they are in talks with Eddie Nketiah over a contract extension beyond June 30th.

After Alexandre Lacazette returned to Lyon, Arsenal are looking to strengthen up front. For example, they are chasing the signing of Gabriel Jesus from Manchester City.

Adding depth in the centre-forward position and out wide will be beneficial to Mikel Arteta’s squad. A front three of Martinelli, Jesus and Saka may be an exciting one for the present and future.

Pepe’s future will be unclear, so it could leave Nketiah as the only attacking backup. That is, unless Martin Odegaard or Emile Smith Rowe feature further forward, or there is a reintegration for Folarin Balogun after a loan at Middlesbrough.

Hence, it is easy to see why they are planning to incorporate more forward-thinking players into their setup. In time, they clearly feel Marquinhos could be of use.

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