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According to Sky Italia’s Gianluca Di Marzio, Everton had a medical done with Lille defender Gabriel Magalhaes – but have since gone quiet.
It’s claimed that Everton had reached an agreement with Lille for the signing of Gabriel back in February, teeing up a summer move.
Gabriel even had a medical with the Toffees according to this report, meaning his move to Everton was on the verge of being done – but that’s no longer the case.
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The report suggests that Everton have backed away from Gabriel due to the global pandemic, seemingly unable to to commit to the deal now.
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That has allowed Napoli – Carlo Ancelotti’s former club – to swoop in and engineer a move for the Brazilian, and they’re now favourites to get him.
There are still some hurdles to clear; Gabriel wants around £45,000-a-week when Napoli are offering £35,000-a-week, whilst Napoli also need to offload a non-EU player in order to register Gabriel.
That may just give Everton a chance to rekindle a deal, with Napoli having to resolve some issues before the summer transfer window.
Everton do need another centre back, and have been linked with the likes of Mohammed Salisu and Jean-Clair Todibo, but they risk missing out on Gabriel having done so much of the ground work.
In other news, ‘It's not one I thought’: BBC pundit gobsmacked by £23m Tottenham Hotspur player