Arsenal could sell 'breathtaking' player next year for £10m and then insert £19m buy-back clause

Arsenal are in talks to loan Marquinhos to Ligue 1 side Nantes and give them an option to sign him on a permanent deal next year.

The Gunners’ focus right now after agreeing a deal to sign David Raya is on outgoings. They plan to move plenty of their players on – either on loan or permanent deals.

Journalist Luca Bendoni of Team Di Marzio has shared the latest on Arsenal’s plan for Marquinhos on X/Twitter.

Arsenal could sell Marquinhos next year and insert a buy-back clause

Arsenal signed young Marquinhos from Sao Paulo last year.

The teenager quickly made a name for himself at the club, performing brilliantly for the U21s side. He starred against Manchester United by scoring a goal and providing a ‘breathtaking‘ assist in a 3-1 win for the young Gunners.

Marquinhos also impressed on his senior debut. He scored a goal and provided an assist in the Europa League against FC Zurich, and he really did show signs of quality.

However, he’s just not ready to be a regular in the Premier League, which is why Arsenal loaned him out to Norwich City in the second half of last season.

Now, Arsenal are in talks with Nantes over another loan deal. Bendoni claims the Gunners could give the French side an option to sign him permanently for £10 million next year but with a buy-back clause inserted in the deal for £19 million.

The journalist tweeted: “Arsenal winger Marquinhos will join Nantes on loan. Nantes will pay an initial loan fee of €300k and will cover a €500k/year [net] salary.

“Discussions ongoing on the final formula, whether to include or not an option to buy of €12m (£10m) and a buy-back of €22m (£19m).”

This would be a really smart bit of business from Arsenal.

Edu signed young Marquinhos for just £3 million last year (Goal). If Nantes agree to buy him for £10 million at the end of next season, that would give the Gunners a great profit just 24 months after their initial investment.

To add to that, if Marquinhos fulfils his potential and becomes a superstar, Arsenal would retain the option of bringing him back for just £19 million, which is nothing in today’s market.

It’s unclear if Nantes would agree to those terms, but if they do, Arsenal would’ve pulled off a masterstroke.