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This article is part of Football FanCast's Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news...

According to Spanish publication Sport, Real Madrid star Marcelo is drawing interest from Arsenal ahead of a potential move to the Emirates this summer.

What's the word?

The report claims that Marcelo - who is valued at £22.5m by Transfermarkt -  has asked the Spanish giants to allow him to leave and that the left-back has suitors from France and Italy as well as from the Gunners.

It adds that the signing of Lyon defender Ferland Mendy has caused him to consider his long-term future at the Santiago Bernabeu and whether he will be an automatic first-choice over the coming years.

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Despite the trophy-laden career the Brazilian has enjoyed, Unai Emery's side simply cannot be the place for the 31-year-old to enjoy his final swansong.

Look to the future, not the past

Four Champions League titles. Four La Liga titles. And a bucketload of domestic titles to boot too. When you look at Marcelo's resume, it's hard to imagine a side passing up on his talents if he was made available on the transfer market. The guy is a trophy machine.

But at the Emirates, things are a little different. Money is notoriously tight and Emery's first season in charge tried to shape the future.

Reports in recent weeks have suggested the Gunners are very keen on signing Celtic's Kieran Tierney to solve their left-back issues. The Scotland international is 22, dynamic both with and without the ball, and has a lot more room to grow. The same cannot be said of an ageing Brazilian whose season last year was so under-par, that he was left out of his country's Copa America squad this summer.

The stats don't make pretty reading either for the defender. Last year, in 34 appearances across all competitions, the Brazil international managed just three goals and six assists; the season before that, he contributed five goals and 11 assists.

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The Premier League has long been known for its pace, intensity and general up-and-down nature. Marcelo's time at La Liga has been characterised by his work going forward and there have been question marks about his defensive prowess. After the troubles Emery had with trying to deal with Sead Kolasinac, the Gunners are in no need of another all-out attack full-back who can be a liability going back towards his own goal.

Arsenal are in desperate need of an overhaul, but that should not mean they turn their attentions towards a 31-year-old left-back on the decline and on enormous wages.