David Luiz agrees to join Flamengo on free transfer

Former Arsenal centre-back David Luiz has reached a verbal agreement over a potential move to Brazilian side Flamengo this summer.

The 34-year-old has been a free agent ever since his contract with Arsenal expired at the end of last season and has been taking plenty of time to evaluate all of his options.

It is thought that Luiz has received a number of offers to remain in Europe, but Globo revealed earlier this week that Flamengo had reached out over a potential deal and were growing in confidence that they could lure the veteran back to Brazil.

Now, according to Pedro Almeida, Luiz's move to Flamengo is nearly finalised, with only agent fees left to discuss before the move can be made official.

Flamengo hope to be able to get the deal over the line and believe it could happen as this is the only proposal about which Luiz has been interested in thus far.

He has had offers from Saudi Arabia and French side Marseille, while former employers Benfica continue to be linked with Luiz, but the defender is waiting for a project which 'touches his heart' - and he appears to have found that with Flamengo.

Flamengo aren't messing about this summer. They have brought in big-name loanees like Manchester United's Andreas Pereira, Chelsea's Kenedy and Lille's Thiago Maia as they look to retain their Serie A crown.

The addition of Luiz would come as a huge boost to the Mengao. While he may have struggled during his final season with Arsenal, Luiz remains one of the biggest names in Brazilian football and obviously brings a wealth of experience with him.

Since leaving Brazil back in 2007, Luiz has turned out for Benfica, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal, racking up games at the highest level for both club and country.