Arsenal make first summer signing

ARSENAL have completed the signing of Brazilian wonderkid Marquinhos. The Gunners have confirmed that the 19-year-old forward has penned a “long-term contract” after joining from Sao Paulo.

The star, who has represented his country at both U16 and U17 level, will head to London in the coming weeks to link up with Mikel Arteta’s side for pre-season training.

Arsenal’s 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.”

Arsenal start their pre-season on July 8, travelling to Germany to take on FC Nurnberg.

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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.

Arteta began tracking the teen several months ago after being alerted to his exploits in Serie A.

And now the Spaniard has pulled the trigger on signing the 19-year-old, forking out around £3million to acquire his services.

His wizardry on the pitch has drawn comparisons to countryman Douglas Costa.

The imminent arrival of the Brazilian will kick start a busy summer for the Gunners, who are in need of two new strikers following the departures of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette.

When recently asked if he’s expecting a busy couple of months, Arteta said: “I think both competitions [the Champions League and Europa League] require a much larger squad because the amount of games you play is much bigger in both.

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“So I don’t think [which you qualify for] makes a lot of difference or changes a lot.

“If you can financially afford it and we don’t have to do the turnaround in the squad that we’ve had to do.

“If you ask me what I want it’s 22 outfield players and three goalkeepers.

“You have to come a long way in the aspects that you see on the pitch, it’s a lot of things that have to be put in place, and that takes time.”