According to reports, Premier League club Wolves are seeking legal action over the controversial transfer of Sao Paulo winger Marquinhos to Arsenal. The Gunners are preparing for a busy summer and they chose the young Brazilian as the first signing of the transfer window.
It was reported two weeks ago that Arsenal have reached full agreement with the Brazilian side to sign Marquinhos for a small fee of €3.5m fee. The player agreed to a five-year-deal and was expected to be unveiled in the coming days. The same was corroborated by transfer guru Fabrizio Romano.
However, it now seems that the deal with Arsenal has ran into trouble, given that Marquinhos had already signed a pre-contract agreement with Wolves, as reported by the Daily Mail. The report states that Sao Paulo decided to offer the 19-year-old to the Gunners despite the player having agreed a pre-contract deal with another club.
Marquinhos signed a contract with the Brazilian club till the summer of 2024, when he was 16-years-old. However, according to the rules of FIFA, underage players are only allowed to sign a three-year deal at max. Thus, the Brazilian teenager’s final two years of the deal was nullified, making him a free agent this summer.
Sao Paulo were initially hesitant to let go of one of their brightest young forwards. However, the rules of FIFA forced them to open talks for a transfer as they didn’t want the winger to leave on a free transfer. Thus, to extract at least a small fee for star player, they agreed a deal with the North London side.
Nevertheless, Bruno Lage’s side believe that they have a legally binding agreement with the youngster to join them at the Molineux Stadium ahead of the new season. Therefore, Wolves are looking to bring in legal action against Arsenal, Marquinhos and Sao Paulo.
Wolves are reportedly set to present a legal complaint against Sao Paulo winger Marquinhos.
It was said that #WWFC had agreed a pre-contract with the 19 year old who is now set to join Arsenal. The club have hired a law firm in Brazil to start a formal process.
🗞 @jorgenicola pic.twitter.com/A5KjqyVyz9
— Talking Wolves (@TalkingWolves) May 26, 2022
Moreover, according to Yahoo! Sports Brazil, Wolves are said to be hot on their heels to prevent the transfer of Marquinhos to Arsenal. The report also claims that the Premier League club have approached a legal firm in Brazil to sue the striker for bailing on them after inking a deal.
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Marquinhos made his first-team debut for Sao Paulo FC in 2021. He has assisted thrice and scored four times in 41 appearances (stats via Transfermarkt) for the club across all competitions. The youngster has even represented Brazil at the youth level.
Although his move to the Emirates Stadium has caused a bit of a stir, but the North London side are confident of him joining despite the allegations. From a recruitment standpoint, Arsenal are looking to improve their squad and increase squad depth and thus, Edu’s pursuit of bringing in a young and talented player certainly elevates the team.
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