Gabriel Magalhaes could soon be an Arsenal player as Lille president Gerard Lopez has made it clear that the defender has been given the green signal for a summer exit.
“He is one of the players that we allowed to exit the club this summer, he asked for it and wants to try something else,” Lopez told Sky Sports, via talkSPORT.
“We clearly told him what our expectations were, we spoke to a number of clubs, our expectations were met by a number of clubs and we have given him the time to decide.
“It is going to be entirely his decision. We tend to try and steer our players in certain directions, but at the end of the day, it’s the player’s decision.
“I know he is going to make a decision early next week.”
Will Gabriel Magalhaes choose Arsenal over Napoli?
Multiple reports are suggesting that Arsenal are the frontrunners in signing Gabriel Magalhaes since the 22-year-old is keen to play for a Premier League side next season.
But having said this, Napoli have still not given up hope in signing the centre-back and they are more than willing to battle it out until the final minute.
Gabriel Magalhaes will be a fine addition to the Arsenal squad next season but Mikel Arteta will have to convince the youngster that he will get regular playing time in order for him to agree on a deal.
The North London side have a flurry of defenders in their first-team squad right now and a number of them are going to stay at the club beyond the ongoing transfer window.
So in such a scenario if Gabriel Magalhaes has to prove his worth once again, then he will much likely prefer a move to the Serie A.
Apart from Arsenal, clubs like Manchester United and Everton have also shown an interest in signing the 22-year-old but right now they are far behind in the queue.
