Arsenal are edging closer to completing a deal for the Flamengo centre-back Pablo Mari, after the 26-year-old was apparently spotted with Gunners technical director Edu.
Spaniard Mari is familiar to Gunners boss Mikel Arteta having been on the books at Manchester City for three years, although he never played a first-team game for the club.
He was immediately loaned out to City's sister club Girona upon signing in 2016, and then departed on further loan spells to NAC Breda in the Netherlands and Deportivo La Coruna back home in Spain.
Mari joined Brazilian side Flamengo in July last year for around £1million, and he has been a key figure in manager Jorge Jesus' side.
He played 30 times in the 2019 season, and was in the Flamengo team that lost 1-0 to Liverpool after extra-time in the Club World Cup final in Qatar last month.
Globo Esporte in Brazil claim that the deal to sell Mari to the Gunners is now 'well under way', with the transfer set to cost around £7million after he was spotted with Edu preparing to fly to London.
Arteta has made strengthening the Gunners' defence a key priority ever since he arrived as head coach last month.
His side have kept two clean sheets in his seven games in charge, and he saw David Luiz sent off in the 2-2 draw with Chelsea on Tuesday.
The Brazilian will now serve a suspension, and with Calum Chambers out with a long-term ACL injury, Sokratis Papastahopoulos suffering with a recent bout of illness and questions over the form and future of Shkodran Mustafi, Arteta has been forced to look into the transfer market.
The Gunners are next in action at Bournemouth in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Monday.
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