Arsenal have been Premier League rivals Manchester United in the race to sign defender 22-year-old Gabriel Magalhaes from Lille, as per the Daily Mail.
The report claims: “Arsenal have won the race to sign highly-rated Lille defender Gabriel Magalhaes from Lille after beating off interest from Manchester United and Napoli.
“The Brazilian centre-back, valued at £22million, has been coveted by a host of teams this summer after an impressive season and now the Gunners have agreed a deal to take him to the Emirates ahead of the 2020-21 campaign.
“The north London side have already had dealings with Lille in the past after signing Nicolas Pepe for £72m last summer and have benefited from the existing relationship.
“Arsenal have been prioritising reinforcements in defence after finishing eighth in the Premier League table last season, shipping 48 goals, and Magalhaes should help to add some steel and add freshness to the Gunners’ backline.
“He should be joined by another youthful presence in defence after William Saliba linked up with the club after spending last season on loan with St Etienne.”
If this report is indeed true then it’s a great signing for Mikel Arteta’s side since Arsenal had one of the poorest defences amongst the top six sides during the recently concluded season.
The likes of Rob Holding and David Luiz have been really underwhelming and Arteta will be hoping to use Gabriel Magalhaes as the long-term partner to William Saliba who will also join the side next season.
As far as Man United are concerned, missing out on Gabriel Magalhaes will be a bit of a setback for Solskjaer since the manager is also out in the market looking for a new centre-back but some experts think, the OT outfit will now shift their focus to Brighton’s Ben White.
