Arsenal are reportedly confident of completing the transfer of Lille defender Gabriel Magalhaes for around £27million.
The highly-rated young Brazilian has long been linked with the Gunners and the latest is that the club now expect to see off competition for his signature after agreeing both a fee with his club and personal terms with the player, according to the Times.
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The Times state the player himself favours the move to north London, which will be music to Gooners’ ears as Gabriel would surely be a superb signing for Arsenal, who could do with an upgrade in defence after such a disappointing season in 2019/20.
The 22-year-old looks like he would be a major upgrade on the likes of David Luiz, Shkodran Mustafi and Sokratis Papastathopoulos, with the Times noting that he had other suitors.
The report states Napoli have also matched Lille’s £27m valuation for Gabriel, but Everton have dropped out of the running.
This certainly sounds promising for Arsenal, so it makes sense that the Times state they’re optimistic about completing this move.
AFC seem to have a good relationship with Lille, having also signed Ivorian forward Nicolas Pepe from the French giants last summer.