Former Arsenal defender David Luiz has signed a two-season deal worth £52,500-a-week at Brazilian side Flamengo, according to reports.
The 34-year-old departed the Emirates in July after the club decided not to extend his contract as they were keen to get his £100,000-a-week salary off their wage bill.
Luiz has been a free agent all summer and reportedly turned down moves to Marseille and Italian top-flight team Salernitana, with the centre-back in favour of a return to his native Brazil.
And according to Goal, the Brazilian international paper signed a Flamengo contract until December 2022 on Friday night, following meetings with his agent Julio Taran and the Brazilian club’s hierarchy.
Luiz would be the third former Premier League player to make the move to Flamengo this summer, with the Brazilian outfit snapping up Manchester United’s Andreas Pereira and Chelsea’s Kenedy on loan deals from the English clubs.
The defender has not played in his home country since leaving Vitoria for Benfica on an initial loan deal in 2007, before making the move permanent that year.
French news outlet Le 10 Sport claimed Luiz said no to two offers from Marseille and Salernitana as he is intent on returning home.
Marseille tried all summer to lure the player to the Stade Velodrome, with coach Jorge Sampaoli and president Pablo Longoria heavily involved in talks, the report claims.
Having failed initially, the report adds the French outfit returned to the table to convince him further and while Luiz listened to the proposal, he still could not be swayed.
Newly promoted Serie A outfit Salernitana are also said to have tried their luck – hoping their high profile arrival Franck Ribery might help persuade Luiz to make the move – but he turned down their advances too.
Flamengo had emerged as the leading contenders to snap up the free agent and in August it was reported the Brazilian outfit were ‘optimistic’ they could pull off a deal.
The 34-year-old is said to have previously met with Flamengo’s vice president Marcos Braz and football director Bruno Spindel, with the Brazilian club pair said to be on a mission to bring in high-profile players.
Globo claimed Flamengo had already agreed financial terms with the player, but that Luiz is taking time to reach a decision over his next move as he wants to find a project that ‘touches his heart’.
At club level, Luiz has a CV to envy with a host of trophy wins to boast – including the Champions League, the Europa League, the Premier League title and the FA Cup – plus a clean sweep of silverware in France.
He made his name with Chelsea – signing from Benfica in 2010 – and going on to make 143 appearances, before joining PSG for two seasons.
Luiz then returned to Stamford Bridge for a further three years before moving to rivals Arsenal for an £8million fee. He played 73 times for the Gunners, winning the FA Cup in 2019-20.