Flamengo vice president Marcos Braz claims Pablo Mari to Arsenal is a done deal, and it’s just a matter of waiting for the money.

Pablo Mari recently picked up an injury with Arsenal, casting doubt on whether they’d make his loan spell from Flamengo permanent. After all, that was only his third game for the club following his January move.

Despite keeping two clean sheets in his first two games, Mari hasn’t really had time to prove himself. Now he’s on the long road to recovery from what looks like a serious injury. It’s not exactly the ideal way to start life at a new club.

All the same, Flamengo vice president Marcos Braz told the media it’s already a done deal.

“The fact is that Pablo Mari was sold,” Braz said. “There is no question about it. We know he had a serious injury, but the matter is resolved. At the right time, all figures (from the transfer) will appear on the balance sheets.”

We don’t know the exact extent of Mari’s injury, with Arsenal’s last update only describing it as ‘significant’. It’s an ankle injury, and the club sent the centre-back to a specialist for further assessment.

Arsenal already paid €5m for the loan fee in January. With the purchase clause and bonuses, however, it could reportedly reach €16m. The breakdown is as follows:

• €5m loan fee
• €3m purchase clause
• €1m in bonuses for every 10 games he plays, up to 80 games/€8m