Arsenal are set to sign Marquinhos with Sao Paulo coach Rogerio Ceni admitting that the teenager could leave a club who ‘need the money’, speaking to UOL.
19-year-old Marquinhos is not the first, nor the last, highly-rated youngster leaving Brazil behind before he’s even celebrated his 20th birthday.
What separates him from the likes of Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo Goes and Gabriel Jesus, however, is his price-tag. Despite the presence of a £42 million release clause in his Sao Paulo contract, Arsenal saw a bid of around £3 million accepted last week (Globo Esporte).
Much to the frustration of many observers on the other side of the Atlantic.
2002 World Cup winner Vampeta described the fee as ‘absurd’. Pundit Thiago Asmar, meanwhile, called it a ‘scandal’.
Arsenal want Marquinhos from Sao Paulo
But, as legendary goalkeeper-turned-manager Rogerio Ceni points out, Sao Paulo’s precarious financial predicament made keeping Marquinhos – or selling him for a much larger fee – easier said than done.
“Marquinhos was a very repetitive thing. About Marquinhos, I had already heard about some of the contract things. Problems, things that were done wrong,” says Ceni.
The former Brazil U17 international recently signed a five-year professional contract with Sao Paulo. But, according to Lance, such a deal breaches FIFA regulations. Due to Marquinhos’ age, the maximum length of contract Sao Paulo were legally able to offer was just three years.
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“I believe there may be an exit in the middle of the year, when the window opens,” Ceni adds. “Because the club, it seems to me, needs that money. I hope that there is also the possibility of some arrivals because, in some positions, we need more options.”
A left-footed forward who can play on either flank, Marquinhos was left out of the squad for Sao Paulo’s 2-1 win over Cuiaba this weekend.
According to the Daily Mail, Arsenal have fought off competition from Atletico Madrid and Wolves as they close in on a deal reminiscent of the one that brought Gabriel Martinelli to the Emirates Stadium three years ago.
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