Arsenal 'agree £4.2m deal for Pablo Mari'

Arsenal are reportedly on the verge of signing Flamengo defender Pablo Mari on an initial loan deal.

The Spaniard recently flew to England with the view to signing a contract with the Gunners, but it had been thought that the deal had fallen through when he returned to Brazil earlier this week.

According to Globoesporte, Mikel Arteta's side had originally agreed a £7.5m fee for the centre-back before signalling that they only wanted to sign Mari on loan for the remainder of the season.

The report claims that the London club have now agreed to pay £4.2m to loan the 26-year-old, while the deal also includes an option to sign Mari on a permanent deal at the end of the 2019-20 campaign.

The defender was contracted to Manchester City between 2016 and 2019 but never made a first-team appearance for the Premier League champions.

The Spaniard has been a key figure since arriving at Flamengo, though, and helped them reach the final of the Club World Cup against Liverpool in the latter stages of 2019.