Arsenal have finally agreed a deal with Flamengo to bring Pablo Mari back to the Premier League this month.
The move for the defender - who spent three years at Manchester City without playing a league game - appeared to have collapsed after discussions between the two clubs broke down at the last minute.
The Brazilian club were demanding £13million and, as the Spanish defender arrived in London for a medical over the weekend, the Gunners complained they couldn't afford the fee and said they wanted a loan deal instead.
However, it is understood talks have progressed in the last 24 hours even though Mari returned to Brazil after flying to London last weekend only for the move to stall.
According to The Athletic, Arsenal have now agreed a deal to sign the 26-year-old defender on loan with an option to buy.
Gunners boss Mikel Arteta has been desperate to sign a left-footed centre-back and appears to have finally landed one.
Meanwhile, Shkodran Mustafi's ankle injury is not as bad as Arsenal first feared with the defender suffering a sprained ankle during Monday night's FA Cup fourth-round win at Bournemouth.
The 27-year-old has been enjoying something of a revival of his Gunners career of late and was one of the best players on the pitch before being taken off on a stretcher just after the hour in a 2-1 victory.
But, after scans and checks on Tuesday, the injury was revealed to be an ankle sprain and not any lasting damage to ligaments - meaning he will be sidelined for weeks rather than months.
It remains to be seen if Mustafi's injury will rule him out of the club's planned break to Dubai during their two-week spell without a game.
Arsenal confirmed they would travel to the Middle East between their trip to Burnley on Sunday and the visit of Newcastle on February 16.
