Hellas Verona are interested in signing Arsenal defender Pablo Mari this summer, according to reports from Italy.
Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio reports that Serie A side Hellas Verona are looking to bring in Arsenal's Pablo Mari during the current transfer window.
Mari spent the last six months on loan at Udinese, and it was a strong spell overall.
The centre-back made 15 appearances and scored a couple of goals, quickly slotting into the starting lineup under Udinese coach Gabriele Cioffi.
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Cioffi was caretaker manager at the time, and he wasn't offered a permanent role with the club. Hellas Verona took the opportunity to pick him up instead.
As a result, Cioffi is now keen to bring Arsenal's Mari with him from Udinese to Verona.
Hellas Verona sporting director Francesco Marroccu is also keen, looking to support his new manager by completing the signing.
28-year-old Mari looks set to bring a rather short Arsenal spell to an end this summer, one way or another.
Though the defender only joined from Flamengo in 2020, he's already fallen out of favour with his parent club.
Mikel Arteta only gave Mari three starts in the first half of the season, two in the Premier League in August - whilst Gabriel Magalhaes was injured - and one in the League Cup in September.
The Spaniard was even consigned to a bench role when Arsenal took on lower-league opposition in the FA Cup third-round in January.
It's hard to see Mari bouncing back from that to become a regular Arsenal starter, particularly with the reported interest in Lisandro Martinez.
With the potential addition of Martinez and other options with experience at left-centre-back like Gabriel, Takehiro Tomiyasu, and William Saliba, Mari's best bet is a fresh start elsewhere.
The main drawback of Serie A interest, from an Arsenal point of view, is that Italian sides haven't made them particularly substantial transfer offers in the past.
Whether you look at AS Roma's failed pursuit of Granit Xhaka or Fiorentina's decision to forego their €15m purchase clause for Lucas Torreira, the signs don't point to a big bid from Hellas Verona.
Arsenal may have to accept that the primary benefit of a sale is clearing non-homegrown space in the squad and moving on Mari's wages.
Hellas Verona did at least finish in the top half of Serie A last season, a few places above Udinese.
Given he wasn't involved in the June internationals, Mari is currently expected back in training with Arsenal on Monday.
Though if the defender isn't involved, that could point to a transfer being more advanced.
Topics: Arsenal
Dan Critchlow