Arsenal beat Manchester United and Everton in transfer race for Lille ace Gabriel Magalhaes with £22m signing agreed
Arsenal have reportedly won the race to sign Lille defender Gabriel Magalhaes.
A number of clubs were said to be chasing the 22-year-old who has been touted as one of the best prospects in Europe.
The report that the Gunners have beaten Manchester United, Everton and Napoli in the race to sign Gabriel.
They are said to have agreed a £22million deal for Gabriel, who impressed with Lille in the shortened Ligue 1 season.
They finished fourth in the French top-flight as the 2019/20 campaign was terminated early due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Arsenal are in need of defensive reinforcements after conceding 48 Premier League goals last season.
Lille president Gerard Lopez lavished praise on the young centre-back earlier this year.
He said: “I feel he is among the top five dominant central defenders in Europe right now. 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. The player isn’t on the pitch.”