Arsenal have reportedly made their first summer signing ahead of next season. Marquinhos is set to join the Gunners for their pre-season tour at the start of the next campaign.
According to GOAL journalist Charles Watts, the north London side are set to pay £3m to secure the youngster's services. He will join the club from Brazilian side Sao Paulo.
The Brazilian is not a well-known player in Europe. But at just 19-years-old he has already registered a full season under his belt and could follow the same trajectory that Gabriel Martinelli did when he made the move to north London in 2019.
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Marquinhos is a talented young forward who mainly operates as a winger - but he can also play through the centre. He is left-footed and is comfortable on either wing, although his preferred role is wide out on the right so he can cut inside on his favoured foot.
The youngster has also represented Brazil at youth level. He made three appearances for the under-17s and four appearances for the under 16s where he scored one goal.
Marquinhos broke through into the Sao Paulo side as an 18-year-old, making his debut against Flamengo in July 2021. He went on to make 24 appearances in his first season but was heavily used as a substitute as he was only on the pitch for 794 minutes.
If a transfer goes through, it will be very similar to the Gabriel Martinelli in 2019, where Edu signed the Brazilian without anyone having expert knowledge about the player. However, he burst onto the scene when given chance by Edu.
Mikel Arteta will be hoping for the same outcome if Marquinhos does join the club, as Arsenal are currently in desperate of a forward, and will also need to strengthen in the wing department. Bukayo Saka will need an understudy, and with Nicolas Pepe’s exit looking ever more likely, there is certainly an opportunity for Marquinhos to stake his claim.
