Arsenal are working on a loan deal for Flamengo centre-back Pablo Mari as they look to strengthen Mikel Arteta's defence before the closure of the January transfer window.
The Gunners are looking to bring in Mari on loan with an option to make the deal permanent in the summer. The Spaniard has flown to London and is expected to hold further talks with Arsenal this afternoon and is expected to undergo his medical this weekend.
Mari, 26, was spotted with Arsenal technical director Edu last night with the Gunners hierarchy having stepped up their pursuit for defensive reinforcements this month after Calum Chambers suffered a season-ending knee injury.
They have also explored a move for Shakhtar Donetsk centre-back Mykolva Matviyenko, also as an initial loan, and were linked with Bayern Munich centre-back Jerome Boateng earlier in the month.
Mari was signed by Manchester City in 2016 but never featured, spending three years out on loan in Spain and the Netherlands before joining Flamengo in July.
The centre-back enjoyed great success in Brazil, winning both the league and Copa Libertadores and earning high praise for his performance in the Club World Cup against Liverpool.
Discussing Arsenal's hopes of making a new signing this month head coach Arteta said: "Obviously, since I joined we lost Calum and we had other circumstances and injuries in those positions so it's true that at the back we've been short.
"But there are other positions as well, depending on what happens in the market, that we might need to assess.
"At the moment, I am 50:50 because this transfer window is very, very complicated.
"I only want to bring somebody in if I'm really convinced that he can really improve the level that we have."
