It’s always hard to determine how credible a claim is when it comes from nowhere – it means either someone is in the know or it’s an outlet who have just made something up.
Arsenal’s defence has improved a bit in recent games but it was a weakness all season, so it won’t be a surprise if another signing joins William Saliba in freshening up the team next season.
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The Get French Football News Twitter account has been looking at various reports from France about Arsenal’s interest in Lille defender Gabriel Magalhaes:
La Voix du Nord have not been able to confirm France Bleu Nord's reporting about a supposed Arsenal breakthrough for Lille central defender Gabriel.
— Get French Football News (@GFFN) August 4, 2020
The follow up to the initial tweet doesn’t completely dismiss the claim, but it does make it sound less likely to happen.
It’s worth pointing out that Stretty News recently cited a claim from La Voix du Nord about Angel Gomes that was proven to be spot on, so that may through the initial claim into further doubt.
Gabriel has impressed at centre back this season, while Arsenal and Lille have got experience when it comes to trading with each other – Nicholas Pepe was the most recent.
It’s also important to note that the report doesn’t suggest that a deal has actually be done, purely that Arsenal have bypassed two other teams in their efforts to sign the Brazilian.
It’s hard to know what to make of this but he’s impressed enough to suggest he would be a good addition for Arsenal, so it’s worth following this story in the next couple of days.