Fluminense's forward Marquinhos celebrates after scoring during the Copa Libertadores group stage first leg football match between Brazil's Fluminense and Chile's Colo Colo at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on April 9, 2024. (Photo by PABLO PORCIUNCULA/AFP via Getty Images)

Arsenal winger’s loan deal could be more complex than it seemed

May 23, 2024

Marquinhos’ loan contract with Fluminense may be more complicated than previously reported, according to the Brazilian media.

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - APRIL 09: Germán Cano of Fluminense celebrates with Marquinhos of Fluminense after scoring the team's second goal during the Copa CONMEBOL Libertadores 2024 group A match between Fluminense and Colo-Colo at Maracana Stadium on April 09, 2024 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images) — RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL: Germán Cano of Fluminense celebrates with Marquinhos of Fluminense after scoring the team’s second goal during the Copa CONMEBOL Libertadores 2024 group A match between Fluminense and Colo-Colo at Maracana Stadium on April 09, 2024. (Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images)

Arsenal’s Marquinhos joined Fluminense in February, signing for the Brazilian club on loan for the remainder of 2024. In their official reports on the move, Fluminense wrote that he was arriving with an option to buy.

Yet RTI Esporte claim the exact value of the option isn’t fixed, and still requires negotiation.

What’s more, there’s apparently a second clause that requires the release of Marquinhos from his loan if Arsenal accept a transfer offer from abroad this summer.

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - APRIL 09: Marquinhos of Fluminense celebrates after scoring the team's first goal during the Copa CONMEBOL Libertadores 2024 group A match between Fluminense and Colo-Colo at Maracana Stadium on April 09, 2024 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images) — RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL: Marquinhos of Fluminense celebrates after scoring the team’s first goal during the Copa CONMEBOL Libertadores 2024 group A match between Fluminense and Colo-Colo at Maracana Stadium on April 09, 2024. (Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images)

Fluminense then have the option to match that foreign proposal, but these clauses are still generating concern at the club. The Brazilian club are keen to keep the Arsenal loanee around, and worried that their inaction could see him moving elsewhere.

As a result, RTI Esporte claim Fluminense are holding talks to make Marquinhos’ loan permanent this summer, with a meeting planned at the beginning of June.

Yet it would be surprising for a club to have an option to buy without a fixed value, so it’s worth maintaining some scepticism with RTI Esporte’s claims.

The only supporting evidence is that the value of the option to buy was never revealed to the public, and some reports suggested it only existed “if certain clauses are met”.

Marquinhos with Fluminense (Photo via Marquinhos on Instagram)

Marquinhos has made 14 appearances for Fluminense already this season, often featuring at right-back. For the time being, he’s out of action, having suffered an injury last week.