Arsenal agree £27m fee to sign Gabriel Magalhaes from Lille - report
Arsenal are close to agreeing a deal to sign Gabriel Magalhaes from Lille this summer, say reports
Arsenal have agreed a £27m fee to sign Gabriel Magalhaes from Lille this summer, according to reports in the British media.
Sky Sports is reporting that the north London side are “on the cusp” of completing a deal to bring the 22-year-old Brazilian defender to The Emirates as Mikel Arteta prepares for his first full season in charge at the club.
The same report claims that Arsenal have beaten off competition from Manchester United, Everton and Napoli to conclude a deal to land the central defender this summer.
Gabriel was a key player for Lille last season and helped the French club to finish in fourth place in the Ligue 1 table.
The Brazilian is set to join a new-look Arsenal defence for next season, with William Saliba having already moved to The Emirates in a deal that was agreed last summer.
According to the story, which was published on Sunday night, Gabriel is due in London in the next few days to complete a medical.
Gabriel looks set to follow in the footsteps of Nicolas Pepe by completing a move to Arsenal from Lille.
The defender started his career at Avai, who currently play in the second division of Brazilian football.
Gabriel made the move to Europe in January 2017, signing for Ligue 1 side Lille for a fee of £1.5m.
Meanwhile, Arsenal will kick off the new season with their Community Shield showdown clash against Liverpool FC at Wembley on Saturday 29 August.
They will then take on Fulham, West Ham United, Liverpool FC and Sheffield United in the Premier League as they bid to get their first full campaign under Arteta off to a good start.
The north London side finished eighth last season and have not won the Premier League title since their unbeaten triumph in 2003-04.
