Sao Paulo’s Marquinhos has arrived in London to complete his transfer to Arsenal, with confirmation of the move expected shortly.

AVELLANEDA, ARGENTINA: Mauricio Martinez of Racing Club and Marquinhos of Sao Paulo fight for the ball during a round of sixteen second leg match between Racing Club and Sao Paulo as part of Copa CONMEBOL Libertadores 2021 at Presidente Peron Stadium on July 20, 2021. (Photo by Marcelo Endelli/Getty Images)
AVELLANEDA, ARGENTINA: Mauricio Martinez of Racing Club and Marquinhos of Sao Paulo fight for the ball during a round of sixteen second leg match between Racing Club and Sao Paulo as part of Copa CONMEBOL Libertadores 2021 at Presidente Peron Stadium on July 20, 2021. (Photo by Marcelo Endelli/Getty Images)

Goal report that Arsenal have finalised the last details of Marquinhos’ transfer, and the player flew into England on Thursday to complete the deal. He’s already visited London Colney, and he’s now set to undergo a medical.

Goal add that confirmation of the deal is expected shortly, with Arsenal set to pay a fee of £3m.

Fabrizio Romano wrote earlier this week that an official statement will soon be released to confirm the transfer of the Sao Paulo winger.

A left-footed player who primarily features on the right, Marquinhos has already made 40 senior appearances for Sao Paulo, despite only turning 19 last month.

Marquinhos is set to sign a five-year deal to join the Gunners until 2027.

Ryan Taylor of the Daily Express and Charles Watts of Goal both suggest the teenager is being signed as one for the future, though he could get a chance to impress in pre-season.

You never know how that might go, as we saw when Martinelli was signed for the long-term before immediately breaking into the squad.

Arsenal are still looking to bring in two senior forwards on top of the Marquinhos deal.

Brazil's Sao Paulo Marquinhos celebrates after scoring against Argentina's Racing Club during their Copa Libertadores round of 16 second leg football match at the Presidente Peron Stadium in Avellaneda, Buenos Aires province on July 20, 2021. (Photo by MARCELO ENDELLI/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Brazil’s Sao Paulo Marquinhos celebrates after scoring against Argentina’s Racing Club during their Copa Libertadores round of 16 second leg football match at the Presidente Peron Stadium in Avellaneda, Buenos Aires province on July 20, 2021. (Photo by MARCELO ENDELLI/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Under normal circumstances, those in Brazil believe Marquinhos would be worth much more than €3.5m. Jorge Nicola claims the player should be worth at least five times that amount. But his contract situation is complicated.

When Marquinhos signed his first professional deal in 2019, he agreed a five-year deal with Sao Paulo.

That length of contract is allowed by the Brazilian Football Confederation, but FIFA do not recognise first professional contracts longer than three years.

So according to FIFA, Marquinhos is out of contract this summer, and Sao Paulo have been unable to convince him to extend.

As a result, the young winger is technically under contract according to his local federation, but that contract wouldn’t hold up if put to FIFA. The simplest solution for Sao Paulo is to sell cheap.

Arsenal could have attempted to sign Marquinhos for free in the summer, but it might have ended up getting messy, and the chance to bring the player without a fee would likely have attracted attention from others.

The Gunners have instead opted for a minimal fee to get the signing done and build a relationship with Sao Paulo.