MX23RW : Sunday, May 5 07:54:12| >> :120:16895:16895:

Fenerbahce 'in talks with Arsenal over Pablo Mari deal'

Fenerbahce 'in talks with Arsenal over Pablo Mari deal'
© Reuters
Fenerbahce reportedly open talks over a move for Arsenal centre-back Pablo Mari, who is expected to leave the club this summer.

Fenerbahce have reportedly opened talks with Arsenal over a deal for centre-back Pablo Mari.

The 28-year-old seemingly does not have a future in North London under Mikel Arteta and is expected to depart during the current transfer window.

Mari was a consistent fixture of the side in the 2020-21 season, but the Spaniard was pushed down the pecking order following the £50m arrival of Ben White.

Now, Mari is Mikel Arteta's fifth-choice central defender behind White, Gabriel Magalhaes, William Saliba and Rob Holding, although he has been involved in the Gunners' pre-season period.

Udinese were unable to strike a permanent deal for Mari following his loan spell in Serie A, leaving his long-term future shrouded in uncertainty.

Arsenal's Pablo Mari celebrates at the end of the match on March 2, 2020© Reuters

According to journalist Rudy Galetti, Turkish giants Fenerbahce have now made contact over the possibility of signing Mari during the current transfer window.

The former Flamengo man is only under contract at Arsenal for another two years and is expected to be available for the right price ahead of the 2022-23 campaign.

Fenerbahce memorably took Mesut Ozil off of Arsenal's hands when the Gunners terminated the German's deal in 2021, but his contract with the Super Lig side was ripped up earlier this summer.

Mari arrived in North London from Flamengo in January 2020, with the Gunners initially paying £7.2m to sign him on loan before making his deal permanent for a £5.4m fee later that year.

Mari has since scored one goal in 22 appearances for Arsenal across all competitions and collected an FA Cup winners' medal in the 2019-20 campaign.

Mikel Arteta in charge of Arsenal on July 8, 2022© Reuters

However, Mari made just three appearances for Arsenal in the first half of the 2021-22 season before being shipped out on loan to Udinese, where he quickly became a first-team regular.

The Spanish defender scored twice in 15 Serie A starts for Le Zebrette, and he has since returned to Arsenal to feature under Arteta in a stellar pre-season period.

The Gunners made it five wins from five friendly matches with a 4-0 thumping of Chelsea in Saturday's Florida Cup game, after which Arteta had very positive words to say about Saliba.

Arsenal complete their summer preparations against Sevilla in the Emirates Cup on Saturday before meeting Crystal Palace in the Premier League opener on August 5.

ID:490795:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect4514:

Click here for more stories about Pablo Mari

Click here for more stories about Arsenal

Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
William Saliba in action for Arsenal in July 2022
Read Next:
White, Saliba, Gabriel - How should Arsenal line up at the back next season?
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free match previews newsletter! Updates are sent twice a week.
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal36265588286083
2Manchester CityMan City35257387335482
3Liverpool35229477364175
4Aston Villa35207873522167
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs341861067541360
6Newcastle UnitedNewcastle351751378562256
7Manchester UnitedMan Utd34166125251154
8Chelsea34149116559651
9West Ham UnitedWest Ham351310125665-949
10Bournemouth36139145263-1148
11Wolverhampton WanderersWolves36137164960-1146
12Fulham36128165155-444
13Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton341111125257-544
14Crystal Palace351010154557-1240
15Everton36129153849-1137
16Brentford3699185260-836
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3689194563-1829
18Luton TownLuton3668224978-2926
19Burnley3659223974-3524
RSheffield UnitedSheff Utd36372635100-6516


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!