Arsenal's first deal of the summer transfer window has been well-documented for almost a month now and official confirmation could be right around the corner.
When the Gunners agreed to let central defender Pablo Mari join Serie A newboys AC Monza on a season-long loan deal, football.london reported that there was an obligation included that would see this move made permanent for £5.9m - but only if one condition was met.
That condition was if Monza avoided relegation from the top-flight of Italian football. Thanks to a 2-0 win over Spezia at the end of April in addition to other results going their way that weekend and their relegation rivals having to play each other, Raffaele Palladino's side guaranteed their survival with six games to spare.
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As a result, Mari is all set to bid farewell to the Emirates Stadium. The Spaniard was actually Mikel Arteta's first signing when he joined the club initially on loan in the 2020 January transfer window before sealing a permanent move from Brazilian outfit Flamengo the following summer.
He shared the left-sided centre-back role with Gabriel Magalhaes for much of the 2020/21 campaign, starting both Europa League semi-final ties against Villarreal nonetheless, but struggled for game time with the Gunners not competing in Europe last season and spent the second half of it on loan at Udinese.
Aside from a scary ordeal back in October when Mari was stabbed during an attack in a Milan supermarket which left him requiring surgery to have two muscles repaired, his spell with Monza has been a success. He's played a big role in their bid to avoid the drop and all that remains is for both parties to officially confirm the transfer.
With Arsenal's policy regarding developments regarding players extending their contracts; joining/re-joining the club, or leaving only being officially communicated as soon as they are confirmed, it's no surprise that things have been quiet on their end regarding Mari's departure.
Having said that, all signs are pointing towards the club breaking their silence on this particular transfer very soon as on Sunday, the 2022/23 Serie A season wraps up with Monza facing Atalanta away from home knowing they just need to match Bologna's result to secure a top ten finish.
Therefore, with the Gunners playing their final game of the campaign last weekend it could be a case of waiting until Monza do the same before officially confirming the deal. Whilst Mari can't be registered by his new club until July 1 - as that's when the international transfer window officially opens - there's nothing stopping either side from making an announcement beforehand.
Arsenal prepared for the 29-year-old's permanent departure by signing Jakub Kiwior from Spezia in the January transfer window. The Poland international ended up starting the last five Premier League games, showing his versatility by operating at left-back as well as the right-sided centre-half alongside Gabriel.
Mari's departure is likely to be the first of many in N5 this summer with Ainsley Maitland-Niles leaving on a free transfer, Granit Xhaka in advanced talks with Bayer Leverkusen as well as senior players such as Folarin Balogun, Nuno Tavares, Kieran Tierney and Albert Sambi Lokonga attracting interest from elsewhere.
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