Barcelona sign Fluminense defender Marlon on loan

Barcelona have signed Fluminense defender Marlon on an initial loan deal.

The 20-year-old, who is expected to begin his Camp Nou career with Barcelona B, has joined on loan, but the move will become permanent if he appears in five senior matches during the 2016-17 campaign.

"He was loaned to Barcelona for a year with a purchase option until July 2017," Fluminense sporting director Jorge Macedo revealed in an official statement.

Marlon, who has previously been compared to fellow Brazilian Thiago Silva, will be able to join Barcelona on a permanent contract next summer for a fee in the region of £5m.