Flamengo boss Jorge Jesus has insisted he wants Pablo Mari to be part of his squad as negotiations with Arsenal rumble on.
The Gunners want to bring in a centre-back this month and have identified Mari as a possible target.
The 26-year-old flew from Brazil to England on Saturday, accompanied by Arsenal’s technical director, Edu.
Mari held talks with the club, and while negotiations between Flamengo and Arsenal are ongoing, he has now flown back to Rio de Janeiro.
Arsenal are pushing to sign the centre-back on loan with an option to buy him outright in the summer, while reports in Brazil claim Flamengo want a permanent deal now.
Either way, Flamengo boss Jesus has waded into the debate by revealing he would like Mari to stay.
“Gabi (Inter Milan forward Gabriel Barbosa) is not from Flamengo, he is from Inter.
"Pablo is a Flamengo player. There are two players that we really want in our squad,” he said.
