Everton are reportedly lining up Lille’s Gabriel this summer.
According to The Mirror, Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti, director of football Marcel Brands and majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri met in Germany last week to discuss summer transfers.
It’s claimed that Everton’s three chief decision-makers held a meeting during their winter break, and the outcome was that signing a new centre back is a must.
Brands and Ancelotti will no doubt have a host of targets in mind, but it’s believed that Lille star Gabriel Magalhaes is the top target after that meeting.
The Everton recruitment team have a list of targets for Ancelotti, but Gabriel has been watched a number of times, pushing him to the top of the list.
Arsenal and Leicester are keen too, and despite Lille handing him a new contract, he’s still expected to leave the club at the end of the season.
Everton will hope to lure him to Goodison Park, and allegedly won’t be put off by a price tag of around £30million placed on the Brazilian’s head.
The 22-year-old has starred for Lille this season, emerging not only as a defensively solid centre back and aerial threat at 6ft 3in tall, but also as a left-footed defender who can bring balance to a defence and play out from the back.
Everton’s main centre backs – Michael Keane, Yerry Mina and Mason Holgate – are all right-footed, and bringing in Gabriel to provide that balance makes ideal sense for the Toffees.
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