Arsenal confirm first transfer summer signing of Brazilian wonderkid tipped for greatness

Arsenal have confirmed the signing of 19-year-old Brazilian Marquinhos from Sao Paolo after monitoring of star for the last seven months.

The move kickstarts what is expected to be a very busy summer for the Gunners, with more incomings and outgoings expected ahead of next season.

The highly-rated teenager is now expected to join the north London club for pre-season, as Mikel Arteta looks to generate competition within his team and get them back into the Champions League.

The Spanish manager still has some gaps to fill with the departure of Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who left for Barcelona last January.

There are still doubts over the suitability of Arteta to the demands the club, after they narrowly missed out on Champions League football despite looking like they had it in the bag for large parts.

Marquinhos made 33 first team appearances during his time with Sao Paulo and was a part of the squad which won the Compeonato Paulista in 2021.

Arsenal technical director Edu said: “We’re delighted to have completed the transfer with Sao Paulo, as Marquinhos was a player we had been watching for a while.

“At 19, he is still very young, so he is a player for the future.

“We look forward to Marquinhos now joining us for pre-season, making his new home, and continuing to grow and develop with us.”

The Gunners begin pre-season on July 8, where Mikel Arteta is expected to get his team into shape ahead of what is expected to being another riveting season.