Arsenal is still an option for Gabriel Magalhaes with the Lille defender seeing a move to Premier League rivals Everton hit the buffers, according to Le10 Sport.
They do say it’s not over until the fat lady sings.
She was, however, warming up her vocal chords in late-March. At the time, Carlo Ancelotti’s Toffees were apparently on the verge of announcing a deal that would see a £25 million Brazilian link up with Richarlison and Bernard at Goodison Park.
Gabriel had undergone medical tests, with Everton increasingly confident that he would finally step into a Kurt Zouma-shaped void in their squad (Independent).
But then this horrible health crisis reared its ugly head and snookered Everton’s plans. The trail has gone cold and, with the Liverpool-based outfit now being linked with a whole host of rival defenders, it feels increasingly unlikely that Gabriel will be wearing blue next season.
Yet he could still end up in England.
Arsenal were linked with the 22-year-old before Everton stormed into the lead. And with Mikel Arteta’s side still scouring the market for defensive additions, it seems that the Gunners could be back in the conversation for Gabriel’s signature.
Le10 Sport points out that Arsenal have remained in contact with the former Brazil U20 international over the last two months and could now be set to step up their interest as the summer transfer window looms over the horizon.
“I feel he is among the top five dominant central defenders in Europe right now. His statistics, which aren’t well covered outside of France, shows that his percentage for winning duels is pretty unheard of in a league that’s extremely physical,” Lille president Gerard Lopez told Sky of a man who could forge a formidable partnership with fellow Ligue 1 star William Saliba at Arsenal.
“He’s an absolute machine, so to me, he’s well on his way – if not this year – to potentially a really big club. I’m certain he’s on his way to the Brazilian national team at some point.”
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