Arsenal and Napoli have reportedly made near identical offers in order to win the race for the transfer of Lille defender Gabriel Magalhaes.
It now looks like being a two-horse race between these clubs as Manchester United have apparently pulled out of the running for the young Brazilian, according to Le 10 Sport.
MORE: Arsenal contact club to offer them Mesut Ozil transfer
Gabriel has shone in Ligue 1 and could be a superb signing for most top clubs, with Arsenal perhaps particularly likely to benefit from bringing a new centre-back to the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners had a poor season, finishing 8th in the Premier League and crashing out of the Europa League early.
An FA Cup final win over Chelsea ensured the campaign ended on a high note, but it would be a mistake for that to be allowed to paper over so many cracks in Mikel Arteta’s squad.
Gabriel could be a bargain at €30m, and it’s a boost for Arsenal that Le 10 Sport claim Man Utd are no longer in contention.
Still, Arsenal must see off competition from Napoli, with the report stating both clubs have made pretty much the same offer to Lille.
This means it’s now down to the player himself, so we’ll have to see if the 22-year-old can be lured to England over Italy.
If he does join, Gabriel could be a major upgrade on struggling defenders like David Luiz and Sokratis Papastathopoulos at Arsenal.
United could surely also do with strengthening at the back and bringing in a better partner for Harry Maguire, but it seems they’ve turned their attention elsewhere.
The Mirror have previously linked MUFC with Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly, who may well be a more realistic target if the club land Gabriel.