Arsenal have completed the signing of Sao Paulo winger Marquinhos, it has been reported. The club’s struck a deal hitting around the 3 million pound mark for the Brazilian teenager, who has signed an agreement until June 2027.
The 19-year-old is set to complete a move to the Emirates Stadium after breaking into the first team at Sao Paulo over the past 12 months.
The 19-year-old adds to Arsenal’s growing Brazilian influence at the club, with Martinelli and Gabriel firm fixtures at the Emirates and the reported incoming of Gabriel Jesus.
Highly-rated
Marquinhos is a talented 19-year-old who mainly operates as a winger – but he can also play through the centre. He is left-footed and is comfortable on either wing, although his preferred role is wide out on the right, so he can cut inside on his favoured foot.
The youngster has also represented Brazil at the youth level. He made three appearances for the under-17s and four appearances for the under-16s, where he scored one goal.
Marquinhos broke through into the Sao Paulo side as an 18-year-old, making his debut against Flamengo in July 2021. He went on to make 24 appearances in his first season but was heavily used as a substitute as he was only on the pitch for 794 minutes.
The signing of Marquinhos will please Mikel Arteta, with the Spaniard needing to bolster his squad ahead of next season.
The north London side’s return to the Europa League means they will face considerably more games than they were tasked with the last term.
Meanwhile, Arsenal struggled to score goals at a similar rate to their rivals and are looking to add to their attacking options this summer.
The Gunners are reportedly interested in Manchester City’s Gabriel Jesus, but the striker has been linked with several other Premier League clubs.
In the past, the club’s technical director Edu Gaspar has proved an enormous advantage when chasing Brazilian players, and Arsenal will hope he can convince Jesus to pick the Emirates.
Sao Paulo’s technical director Carlos Belmonte has heaped praise on Arsenal chief Edu for the way he dealt with the transfer, claiming that the former Gunners midfielder could have got the youngster for free but instead paid a small fee to improve relations with the Brazilian club.
Speaking about the deal, Belmonte said: “Edu Gasper told us he knew that Marquinhos could leave for free, but that he would still seek resources to pay Sao Paulo because he wants to have a strong relationship with Sao Paulo in the future.”
