Mikel Arteta’s Gunners haven’t given up hope of beating Everton to the signature of Lille’s Ligue 1 star Gabriel Magalhaes.
Arsenal have not given up on signing Lille’s Gabriel Magalhaes with ESPN claiming that Mikel Arteta’s side could make a rival bid to hi-jack Everton’s move for the £30 million defender.
It looked for all the world that the future of a 22-year-old Brazilian was at Goodison Park.
Negotiations over a deal for one of Ligue 1’s most impressive performers have been going on for some time and The Guardian reported as recently as Thursday that Everton were confident of making Gabriel the first summer signing of Carlo Ancelotti’s tenure.
But it is not over until the fat lady sings, as the saying goes. And it seems that Arsenal are set to throw their hat into the ring as she warms up her vocal chords.
ESPN claims that Lille are still hoping to spark a bidding war for a much-admired centre-back and Arsenal could take the bait.
It is no secret that The Gunners are in the market for defensive reinforcements and they are now lining up a bid of their own to rival the £30 million offer Everton have put on the table.
Lille president Gerard Lopez admitted to Sky this morning that Gabriel was keen to leave the Stade Pierre Mauroy this summer, describing him the former Dinamo Zagreb loanee as one of the top five defensive talents in European football right now.
And Gabriel certainly looks to tick a lot of boxes at Arsenal.
He is exactly the sort of young, promising talent The Gunners have been looking for, while adding to a growing Brazilian contingent at a club who now count ex-Samba star Edu Gaspar as their technical director.
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