Hellas Verona have reentered the race to sign Pablo Mari, attempting to one-up A.C. Monza by offering a permanent deal to Arsenal.

Earlier this week, news broke of a bid from A.C. Monza to sign Pablo Mari on loan, with an obligation to buy if they avoid relegation this season.

At the time, that was the most concrete proposal Arsenal had received, seemingly making Monza the favourites for Mari’s signature. But Hellas Verona are now pushing to get back in front.

Fabrizio Romano reports that Arsenal have received a new bid for Mari, this time a permanent bid from Verona. Monza’s loan offer is still on the table, and a decision is expected soon.

Romano adds that Mari is “100%” likely to leave Arsenal in the coming weeks, it’s just a matter of where he ends up.

On the surface of it, the move to Verona makes more sense. It guarantees Arsenal a fee upfront, Verona are more likely to have a strong season than newly-promoted Monza, and Mari already knows their head coach Gabriele Cioffi from Udinese.

The one factor that might work in Monza’s favour is the size of their purchase clause. For now, we don’t know how much they’re offering as an obligation to buy, nor how much Verona are offering.

But all of the details that are public seemingly point to a transfer to Verona. We’ll see what decision Mari makes in the coming days.

Mari made 15 appearances for Udinese last season, joining them towards the end of the January window. A return to Italy looks like his best option this summer, as it’s evidently a league he can have more success in than he’s had in England.

Arsenal appear prepared for Mari’s departure, leaving him out of their matchday squad against Crystal Palace on Friday night.