Previous reports from Brazil suggested that he was keen to wait till the summer before completing the move, but it seems that Arsenal may have succeeded in persuading him to come earlier.

The 29-year old is said to have passed his medical in London, and is quoted by eg Sky Sports as saying, "It is possible that I will be here by the end of the month. There are many formalities to be sorted out first but, yes, I could be an Arsenal player this season."

The "formalities" include FA clearance and financial details, but Marcos said he is confident that that it will all be sorted out, and optimistic that it will happen before he flies back to Brazil (tonight). He also says that he wouldn't expect to be at the top of his form for Arsenal until he's had pre-season training with them in the summer. Which suggests he won't suffer from impatience if he end up playing second fiddle to David Seaman until then.

Marcos is single, but hopes that his brother will move to England with him to help him settle in. The Standard quote him as saying that he never expected to be transferred in his career, so this is not a player who'se been looking for a move to Europe for ages, if at all. Helping him settle in could be particularly important, but presumably Gilberto and Edu will be able to help as well as his brother. The Standard also speculate that he'll be signing a contract for four and a half years.

Rupe adds...
According to Arsene Wenger, on the official website, Marcos is only "is one of the players we are interested in", but "the decision has not been made and negotiations haven't really started."