Arsenal leading Manchester United and Everton in transfer race for highly-rated Lille defender Gabriel Magalhaes
Arsenal have have moved ahead of Manchester United and Everton in the race to sign Lille centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes, according to reports.
Mikel Arteta is on the hunt for defensive additions this summer and has already added William Saliba to his ranks as the young centre-back has been recalled from his loan spell at Saint-Etienne.
Saliba, 19, has dazzled on loan for St. Etienne this season but Arteta is scouring the market for at least one more defensive addition this summer.
Gabriel has impressed with Ligue 1 side Lille this season and has attracted interest from around Europe, with United, Everton and Napoli all linked with a move for the 22-year-old.
The report states that Napoli were considering a bid for the defender but have cooled their following their £73million capture of Victor Osimhen from Lille.
According to , Arsenal are now front-runners to seal a move for the Brazilian centre-back and have already begun talks with Lille over a move.
United, meanwhile, are also on the hunt for a new defender, despite Ole Gunnar Solskjaer admitting that Chris Smalling is back in his plans following his season-long loan with Roma.
Gerard Lopez, the president of Lille, believes Gabriel is destined for a move to one of Europe's top clubs.
"I feel he is among the top five dominant central defenders in Europe right now," Lopez told
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"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.
"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.
"He’s been linked to two clubs in the UK and he’s clearly been linked to other clubs that have either enquired or moved forward with proposals for him, but we’re not in a hurry and we’re not playing right now."