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Arsenal midfielder Marquinhos is on the verge of sealing a permanent transfer to Brazilian side Cruzeiro, with the club all but confirming the move over the weekend via a telling social media update.
The 22-year-old, who joined Arsenal from São Paulo in 2022, is expected to bring his stint in North London to an end after struggling to break into Mikel Arteta’s first-team plans. Despite early promise and a Golden Boy nomination the year he arrived, Marquinhos has made just six senior appearances for the Gunners, spending most of his time out on loan with Norwich City, Nantes, Fluminense, and most recently Cruzeiro.
Arsenal had sent the Brazilian winger on loan to Cruzeiro in January, but reports suggested a clause in the deal could trigger a permanent move if he made 20 appearances in the first half of the Brazilian season. Marquinhos has featured 18 times so far, but Cruzeiro appear ready to make the move permanent regardless. The clearest indication came over the weekend when the club announced he would be switching from shirt number 17 to the iconic number 7 — a prestigious number often reserved for key players.
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The deal is expected to net Arsenal around £2.5 million. With Marquinhos entering the final two years of his contract, the Gunners are not standing in the way of the move.
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Marquinos (Image Credit: Getty Images)
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His departure comes amid a summer of midfield reshuffling at the Emirates Stadium. Jorginho is set to leave the club on a free transfer and is reportedly close to joining Flamengo, while Arsenal are pushing ahead with a move for Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi. Meanwhile, the future of Thomas Partey remains uncertain, though contract extension talks are reportedly ongoing.
Marquinhos made a memorable start to his Arsenal career, scoring and assisting on his debut in a 2–1 Europa League win over FC Zurich in 2022. Reflecting on the performance at the time, Arteta said: “He’s very popular, with no English, just with his smile and attitude. He has earned the respect and admiration of everybody here… I think he deserved [the opportunity], I think he took it really well.”
Despite his early promise, consistent first-team opportunities proved elusive, and now Marquinhos looks set to relaunch his career back home in Brazil.
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