Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta will take up the option to sign permanently Pablo Mari.

Arteta is keen to strengthen his Arsenal defence and could well offload the likes of Shkodran Mustafi and Sokratis Papastathopoulos to free up funds and space for fresh faces.

But the Spanish coach will exercise the option to make Mari's loan move from Flamengo permanent.

Spanish centre-back Mari can move to the Emirates on a full-time basis for a fee between £10m and £13.5m.

The Daily Express says Arteta wants to sign Mari due to the balance the left-sided centre-half offers his defence.