Football Today
·4 May 2023
Football Today
·4 May 2023
Monza will pay Arsenal £6 million to sign Pablo Mari permanently, reports Fabrizio Romano.
The Spanish centre-back moved to Udinese on loan in January 2022 before joining Monza seven months later.
The Serie A club had the option to sign the 29-year-old permanently and have decided to activate it.
Mari has agreed to personal terms with Monza, and an official announcement is expected soon.
The former Mallorca man joined Arsenal from Brazilian club Flamengo on loan in January 2020.
The Gunners signed him permanently in July, but injuries and a subsequent dip in form limited him to just 22 appearances for them.
Mari has taken to life in the Italian top flight like a duck to water and made 40 Serie A appearances since.
He helped keep Udinese up last term and Monza could finish in the top half of the table this season.
While things did not work out for Mari at Arsenal, he is slowly proving his quality again in Italy.
He spent six seasons in Spain’s second division before Manchester City signed him in 2016.
However, he was immediately loaned to fellow City Football Group club Girona before spending the subsequent seasons at NAC Breda and Deportivo La Coruna.
Mari made a name for himself in the only season he spent in Flamengo.
He won the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A and Copa Libertadores, making both competitions’ Team of the Year.
Unfortunately, Arsenal could not benefit from his expertise but will earn a fee from his sale.