Arsenal have joined the race to sign young Lille defender Gabriel Magalhaes, according to reports.
The Athletic claim that the Gunners are one of a number of English clubs keeping tabs on the 22-year-old.
Known simply as Gabriel, the Brazilian defender has been ever-present for Lille in both Ligue 1 and the Champions League this season, with his form clearly not going unnoticed.
One factor that could complicate matters is the defender’s likeliness of competing in the Olympic games for his country alongside Gabriel Martinelli.
By competing in next summer’s competition, he would miss five games for Arsenal, should he go on to join the club.
Read Arsenal verdict
Gabriel is clearly an exciting young defender and it would be a shame to see the Olympics rule him out of a potential move to Arsenal.
The Gunners face the prospect of losing Martinelli for a short period over the start of next season, so it shouldn’t be considered as a deal-breaker for Gabriel.
On paper, this looks like a deal that could work for Arsenal. The club have a close relationship with Lille following their deal to sign Nicolas Pepe, so any move for Gabriel should be fairly straightforward to complete, despite the rising interest in his services.
Arsenal know they need to strengthen at the back and if they can get a promising young defender with Champions League experience under his belt, it’s surely worth doing.
