Report: Arsenal could miss out on Gabriel Magalhaes after Italian club’s latest move

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It has been made clear that Arsenal are in the race to sign Lille’s Gabriel Magalhaes this summer. The Gunners are battling fellow Premier League side Everton and Serie A giants Napoli for his signature, with the latter posing a bigger threat.

Gianluca Di Marzio claimed last week that Gennaro Gattuso’s side have a gentleman’s agreement with Lille to sign the South American defender. However, it was recently reported that he preferred a move to Arsenal instead and had agreed a five-year deal (the Times).

Multiple sources backed that claim and Arsenal fans were delighted with the business that Mikel Arteta and co seemed to have been doing behind the scenes.

Gabriel looks a perfect fit for Arsenal. The Gunners’ only left-footed centre-back at the moment is Pablo Mari. The Spaniard will miss the start of next season due to injury, which increases the need for a new centre-half.

A left-footed defender at left centre-half who would provide proper balance for Arsenal to build from the back is a necessity in Arteta’s system. Gabriel could have filled that role perfectly but it now looks like they could have a problem.

Napoli’s latest move could hurt Arsenal

Sky Sports claim that Napoli have come in with a last-ditch offer to steal Gabriel away from Arsenal. The Italians have reportedly offered ‘a big salary deal’ to the defender which beats the proposal the Gunners currently have on the table.

The report reveals that Gabriel is seriously considering Napoli’s offer which puts Arsenal’s whole deal at risk. Prior to the Italians’ 11th-hour bid, Arteta’s side remained the favourites for his signature and this new report is something the Spaniard could have done without.

It will be interesting to see how this pans out. If Napoli’s salary offer really is ‘big’, Arsenal might struggle to match that considering their financial position isn’t in the best shape at the moment.

A decision is expected from Gabriel in the next few days. Arsenal will be hoping that he picks them over a move to Italy but, if he decides to snub the Gunners, they will have to act quickly to bring in someone else before the start of the new season.