OGC Nice have reinforced its defence. After passing his medical on Tuesday, Brazilian centre-back Marlon (21 years old) officially signed for the Gym on loan from FC Barcelona.

Coming through the ranks at Fluminese, Marlon Santos (1m82, 80kg) made his first professional steps in the Brazilian championship. His qualities of being at the start of moves and his speed, seen notably during the U20 World Cup in which he was a finalist with Brazil in 2015, attracted the Catalan club.

In the first instance, he was loaned last summer, before the Duque de Caxias-born defender saw his option to buy clause activated in June by the Blaugrana, after a season spent with the B team – whom he lead in the Spanish second division – and with his appearances in the Champions League (against Celtic) and in the final stages of the league during Gerard Piqué's absence.

Embed from Getty Images

The Brazilian youth international is the second defender to join the Gym this summer, after Christophe Jallet (arriving from Lyon).

Bem-vindo Marlon!

---