Arsenal have a decision to make over the future of defender Pablo Mari.
Arsenal defender Pablo Mari has told Sky Sports that he hopes to be playing for the club next season as confusion surrounds his future.
The Gunners swooped in January to sign Mari on loan from Flamengo, taking him until the end of the season having starred over in Brazil.
The former Manchester City man had been something of a nomad in recent times, but he was a key part of Jorge Jesus’s side as they won the league title and the Copa Libertadores.
After failing to make a single appearance for City, Mari headed back for a second crack at English football, no doubt desperate to turn his Arsenal loan spell into a permanent deal.
So far, the 26-year-old has played just twice for Arsenal, playing 90 minutes against both Portsmouth and West Ham United before the global pandemic shelved football.
That leaves Arsenal facing a difficult decision; they’ve only seen Mari in action twice, but will have to decide on a permanent move this summer.
Coluna Do Fla reported in February that Arsenal had already decided to pay the £13.5million option in Mari’s deal, but if that’s the case, the defender doesn’t seem to know about it.
Mari has now admitted that he hopes to complete a permanent move this summer, but knows that the pandemic makes things ‘difficult’ for the clubs involved, meaning he faces an uncertain time.
“We played well. I have a lot of things to learn but I think my football can be really good with the Arsenal,” said Mari. “I hope the club and I can go at the end (of the season) with good things to do the permanent transfer. We will see what happens because at the moment with the virus it is difficult,” he added.
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