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Serie A club AC Monza have struck a deal with Arsenal to sign Pablo Mari on an initial loan deal, according to Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio.
Arsenal have made five major additions to their squad during the ongoing transfer window. They have signed Gabriel Jesus, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Fabio Vieira, Matt Turner and Marquinhos for a combined fee of around £120 million.
The Gunners are now looking to move a few players on before the transfer window closes this month. They have already sold Bernd Leno and Lucas Torreira for a combined sum of £9 million to Fulham and Galatasaray respectively. Nuno Tavares and Folarin Balogun have joined Olympique Marseille and Stade Reims on loan, respectively.
It appears Mari is next in line to move away from the Emirates Stadium this summer. Arsenal and Monza shook hands over the transfer of the defender on Tuesday (August 9) night, according to the aforementioned source.
The Serie A club have agreed to sign the former Manchester City centre-back on a season-long loan deal. They will be obligated to make the move permanent if they retain their top-flight status this term.
Monza earned promotion to Serie A after winning the Serie B play-offs last season. I Biancorossi are hopeful that Mari can help them avoid dropping straight back into the second-tier.
Mari is thus expected to arrive in Monza today (August 10) if the report is to be believed. He will then undergo a medical before putting pen to paper on a contract with the Italian club.
It is unclear how much Monza will be obligated to pay Arsenal to make the 28-year-old's signing permanent if they survive relegation this season.
How has Mari fared for Arsenal?
Mari joined the Gunners from Brazilian club Flamengo on an initial loan deal in January 2020. He went on to make his move to the Emirates Stadium permanent the following summer.
However, the move has not gone according to plan for the Spanish central defender. He clocked just 1944 minutes of first-team football during his two-and-a-half year stint at the club.
Mari spent the second half of the 2021-22 season on loan at Serie A club Udinese. He made 15 league appearances for the Italian club, finding the back of the net twice in the process.
The centre-back is now on his way to Italy, with Monza set to sign him on an initial loan deal.
