Arsenal are expected to recall Brazilian winger Marquinhos from his loan spell at Nantes in January, according to a report.
The 20-year-old has been nothing more than a bit-part player during his time in Ligue 1, playing just seven times for Les Canaris in Ligue 1 and setting up one goal in the process.
Six of Marquinhos's appearances in the French top flight have come as a substitute, and his solitary start saw him last just 58 minutes in a 1-0 win over Clermont on September 17.
Prior to the winter break, the former Sao Paulo youngster came on as a second-half substitute against Paris Saint-Germain and Brest, but he was left on the bench against Lyon on December 20.
Marquinhos's switch to Nantes was a straight season-long loan deal with no option or obligation to buy, but according to The Mirror, the Gunners could bring him back to North London prematurely.
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The report claims that Arsenal have already held discussions with Nantes over an early termination, and all the signs are pointing towards Marquinhos returning to the Premier League this month.
The 20-year-old recently evoked the fury of Nantes boss Jocelyn Gourvennec, who revealed to the media that Marquinhos wants to represent Brazil's Under-23s in the upcoming CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament.
Gourvennec insisted that Nantes have the right to refuse Marquinhos's request to play in the competition, which takes place from January 20 to February 11, but he lamented the situation as a "s***" one.
"We will still be faced with the problem of Marquinhos, which is a problem. He is a player who already left for a month in October, who came back injured, who now wants to play a new preparatory tournament for the Olympics, who wants to play in the Games," Gourvennec said.
"We understand it but it clashes with our imperatives. We understand that he wants to go and we have the right to refuse. We can let him go there and we lose him. But if we prevent him from doing so we still lose him. It's a sh**** situation."
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Arsenal pipped Wolverhampton Wanderers to the signature of Marquinhos in a £3m deal in 2022, and he was initially expected to leave on loan straight away before earning promotion to the first team thanks to impressive displays at Under-21 level.
The winger's debut against FC Zurich in the Europa League saw him open the scoring before setting up Eddie Nketiah in a 2-1 win, but he has made just five more appearances for the Gunners without directly contributing to a goal.
Marquinhos enjoyed a slightly better loan spell with Norwich City in the second half of the 2022-23 season, scoring one goal and setting up another in 11 matches, and his contract in North London runs until the summer of 2027.
Arsenal would likely send Marquinhos out on loan again if he was to leave Nantes, although the Gunners are notably short in the right-wing area, where only Bukayo Saka and Reiss Nelson are available while Fabio Vieira recuperates from a groin operation.
The Gunners are supposedly prepared to consider bids for Nelson in January, while Saka has been playing through niggles for the majority of the season amid anger from Gooners over perceived rough treatment towards the England international.
Ben Knapton
