May 14, (THEWILL) – Arsenal are reported to have agreed to pay £3 million for Sao Paulo winger, Marquinhos. After thorough conversations with Gunners technical director, Edu, the 19-year-old will reportedly join the team this summer.
Marquinhos’ arrival will have no bearing on the club’s summer transfer business, which include Manchester City striker Gabriel Jesus, Leicester midfielder Youri Tielemans, and Bologna defender Aaron Hickey.
Hickey joined Bologna from Scottish side Hearts in the summer of 2020, and in his debut season with the club, he made 11 Serie A appearances. The defender, who can play both left and right of the backline, has received praise both in Italy and abroad for his outstanding season with the club.
Hickey became a staple in the Bologna defence this season, making 33 league games and scoring five goals while adding an assist to his compete goal contributions for the campaign in the Serie A.
With Tierney on the sidelines after knee surgery and Takehiro Tomiyasu only recently returning to action after calf concerns, Arsenal boss, Mikel Arteta, is looking for a versatile left-sided defender to help his squad in the coming season.
Arsenal are also optimistic about signing Manchester City forward Jesus, with promising conversations between his representative and technical director Edu now underway.
When asked if he anticipated a busy summer in terms of player recruiting, Arteta responded: “I am expecting so, yes. 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, 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.”
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
