Arsenal have reportedly captured the signing of Brazilian starlet Marquinhos from Sao Paulo for a €3.5 million fee.
According to Rudy Galetti, Arsenal have agreed a deal with Sao Paulo for Brazilian starlet Marquinhos. The South American club will receive €3.5 million from the Gunners over many instalments, with the north London side having secured one of the continent’s most highly-rated teenagers.
Arsenal are building a great team and remain keen to add talents from all over. The idea is to strengthen the squad with not only experienced and exciting stars, but also by scouting young players from different leagues.
The Gunners had revamped their entire scouting system since Mikel Arteta, and Edu started working together. Despite backlashes from fans and critics, the club achieved favourable results with their new methods as they signed some of the top talents last summer.
They will be reliant on the revamped system, as Arsenal target multiple additions in the summer. While they are linked with multiple names for different positions, Arteta has specific targets to strengthen the squad in the close season.
?✅ DONE DEAL: #Marquinhos will be a new #Arsenal player.
?✍️ For the ?? winger, total agreement reached with #SaoPaulo based on €3,5M fee. ? The announcement is expected soon. ?⚽ #Transfers #Calciomercato #AFC pic.twitter.com/vuF2LcUhv1
— Rudy Galetti (@RudyGaletti) May 14, 2022
Arsenal are chasing a wide forward, with Cody Gakpo considered a priority signing, while a midfielder, full-back and striker may also arrive in the summer. Bologna left-back Aaron Hickey is considered a key target, while there are links to Youri Tielemans and Gabriel Jesus. The latter looks like an imminent signing after talks reached an advanced stage between the Gunners and Manchester Cty.
Arsenal are also keeping close tabs on many young players who could be ones for the future. Their recent links to Sao Paulo starlet Marquinhos did go unnoticed initially, but now the club have agreed a deal with the South American club for the forward. Arsenal have reportedly sealed the transfer for €3.5 million, with the 19-year-old set to arrive in England.
There could be issues with work permit, but Arsenal are reportedly confident of solving it due to the changes in rules post-Brexit. Sao Paolo’s president had previously pointed towards a massive €50 million release clause in his contract, which was disputed owing to a breach in rules connected with professional contracts in Brazil.
The Brazilian league has something called the ‘Pepe Law’, which does not allow players under 18 to leave. Hence the young players tend to sign a professional contract, and Marquinhos did the same for five years, which runs until the 2023/24 season.
However, FIFA rules only allow such contracts to have a maximum duration of three years, which casts question marks Sao Paulo’s decision over a five-year deal for Marquinhos. Hence, Arsenal’s €3.5 million bid may have been accepted by the club’s president, who had no choice but to take whatever money was on offer.
Marquinhos is expected to arrive in the summer and could likely be sent on loan to another club to aid his development in Europe. He certainly has the attributes to become an exciting talent for the future and will be keen on becoming yet another promising Brazilian in Arsenal’s stable.
