Monza have reportedly agreed to a loan deal to sign Arsenal defender Pablo Mari with the Serie A side having an obligation to buy the centre-back next summer.
In a report from Gianluca Di Marzio, details of Mari’s move to Monza have finally been revealed, with the Spaniard set to sign for the newly-promoted top-flight Italian side on loan for the season before the temporary signing is made permanent in 2023, a deal that will please many Arsenal fans.
Loan deals with obligations to buy are commonplace in Italian football yet they’re yet to really bleed out into the wider European football scene, yet with Arsenal agreeing to a similar transfer last summer with Matteo Guendouzi and Olympique Marseille, the Gunners seem to be fans of such moves.
With Mari signing for Arsenal in 2020 for a reported £14m, supporters will be pleased to just see the defender leave north London for good, and this deal for Monza to sign the centre-back on loan with an obligation to buy essentially seals the centre-back’s fate in Lombardy with the Serie A side.
Indeed, with Arsenal looking at sales this month, getting Mari off their books in some capacity is a huge result for the north London club, with the defender set to become Mikel Arteta’s latest departure following Bernd Leno’s move to Fulham earlier this week.
With Lucas Torreira reportedly close to joining Galatasaray and the likes of Hector Bellerin, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Nicolas Pepe also inching towards the exit, Monza signing Mari is a huge weight off Arsenal’s shoulders, and the Italian side themselves have secured a very good deal.
Monza have landed a coup in signing Mari from Arsenal
Mari might not have worked out at Arsenal and the Premier League, but it’s easy to forget that the defender was impressive last season out on loan at Udinese, where before that, the Spaniard was arguably the best centre-back in South America for Flamengo as they won the Copa Libertadores and made it to the FIFA Club World Cup final.
England isn’t suited for most players, yet Italy proved to be perfect for Mari last season, and for Monza, they have potentially landed a coup in the Arsenal defender that could keep the ambitious Serie A side away from relegation if the centre-back adapts well.
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