Barça negotiate loan deal of Fluminense's Marlon for B team
FC Barcelona is negotiating the loan signing of Fluminense defender Marlon. His representative Fred Moraes is in the Cataln capital. The deal however, would be for the central defender to play with the B team next season.
Marlon Santos da Silva Barbosa, 20-years-old, has been defined as the new Thiago Silva. He is a player for whom Barcelona have a preferential right. Barça paid 3.2 million euros to Fluminense in 2015, for such options on three players, Marlon, Gerson and Kenedy.
The player's agent, as confirmed by sources at Fluminense, is in Barcelona to arrange the loan, though there are also other clubs interested from Italy, in the event that Barça pass up their option.
Fluminense own 60% of the player's rights, and he has a contract until December 2019 with them.
A formula of an extendable one season loan is being sought, similar to the one used with Robert Gonçalves, who also joined from Fluminense, in the last winter transfer window.
The striker Gonçalves however arrived overweight and had problems with his documentation. He never made his official debut with Barça B, and was released at the end of the season.
Marlon was a starter for Brazil's under-20 team that reached the final of the World Championships for that age group in 2015. They lost to Serbia in the final.
This season, he has been unable to break into the Fluminense team, ahead of the starting centre-back pairing of Henrique and Gum. He has made a total of 71 appearances for the Brazilian club.
