Personal terms agreed: Arsenal agrees Personal terms to sign a talented superstar as The Gunners set for massive exodus
Marquinhos moved on loan to Fluminense in February, with Arsenal reporting at the time that he would remain with the Brazilian club until January 2025.
The Brazilian league season operates on a calendar-year basis, so that made more sense than a return in the summer. Fluminense then had an option to buy included in the deal, and Arsenal added in a 50% sell-on clause for any future transfers.
We’ve now reached decision time for that clause, with Fluminense playing their final league game of 2024 on Sunday, a 1-0 win over Palmeiras.
Unfortunately, it seems the call on Marquinhos’ future was already made long before that.
Reports in early December suggested Fluminense had decided not to buy Marquinhos, and he was subsequently left out of all three matchday squads this month. It appears his substitute appearance against Criciuma EC on November 26th was his final showing for the club.
Things didn’t start out badly for Marquinhos with Fluminense. He went straight into their starting lineup in the league, playing all but two minutes of their first nine Serie A games following his arrival.
Even the winger’s hamstring injury in June didn’t appear to affect him too much, as he returned to the side immediately and made four starts in a row.
By the end of July, he’d made 24 appearances for the side. But unfortunately, it’s been all downhill from there.
Marquinhos suffered a second hamstring injury at the end of July, returning to fitness in late August. But this time around, he didn’t break back into the starting lineup.
Fluminense have played 19 games since Marquinhos’ recovery. He’s made the squad for 15 of them, but only featured on the pitch five times.
A return to Arsenal has looked likely for a month or so now, and it’s now just a wait for the official confirmation. The Gunners are then reportedly set to try and find a new club for the 21-year-old in the January transfer window.
