Brazilian side Flamengo have now confirmed the permanent transfer of Pablo Mari to Arsenal.
Following the defender’s ankle injury in the game against Manchester City at the weekend, which will keep him out for the rest of the season, there had been doubts regarding his stay in London.
But in a press conference on Monday, Flamengo vice-president Marcos Braz said the transfer won’t be affected.
“What I can say is that in fact Mari was sold. There’s no question about that, we know that Pablo had a serious injury, but that matter is already resolved. And at the right time all the figures will come out on the balance sheet,” said Marcos Braz (via Esporte Interativo).
They say the Gunners first paid €5m for the loan deal, with another €3m sent to Flamengo six months later. The London side should now pay a further €8m to make the move permanent, spending a total of €16m to get the Spaniard.
The website also adds a tweet from Flamengo fans claiming that the permanent move had been agreed since the beginning, and Arsenal only used the loan to avoid restrictions with Financial Fair Play.
