Gabriel Magalhaes’ agent has confirmed the defender has opted to join Arsenal despite better offers being on the table after Edu and Mikel Arteta convinced him to move to north London, according to reports.
Gabriel has been one of the most sought-after defenders of the summer transfer window with a number of top European clubs reportedly chasing the centre-back following his excellent displays for Lille last season.
The 22-year-old put-in a number of dominant performances at the back to help Lille qualify for the Europa League with a fourth-placed finish in Ligue 1 and his potential caught the eye of Gunners boss Arteta.
Arsenal soon emerged as front-runners to sign Gabriel and The Times claim the Brazilian U20 international flew-in to North London on Monday to sign a five-year contract worth around £80,000-a-week after a £27m deal was agreed with Lille.
The Sun are one of several media outlets reporting that Gabriel passed his medical at London Colney yesterday and an official announcement over his move to the Emirates Stadium is expected imminently.
Gabriel’s agent, Guilherme Miranda, has now told journalist Freddie Paxton that the defender turned down more lucrative offers to join Arsenal after being convinced by Edu and Arteta to move to north London.
Guilherme Miranda (agent of Gabriel Magalhaes) tells me:
“Arsenal was nowhere near the best proposal [money wise]. Gabriel chose them over more lucrative offers because Edu convinced us of the project. It’s 100% because of Edu Gaspar and Arteta.”
— Freddie Paxton (@Freddie_Paxton) August 24, 2020
So it looks like Arsenal have pulled off something of a coup after persuading Gabriel to reject more money in favour of a move to the Emirates and the South American should be an excellent addition to Arteta’s squad.
The Spanish coach wants to add a left-sided centre-back to his ranks to add more balance to the defence and Gabriel fits the bill perfectly. The youngster could now form an exciting partnership alongside William Saliba after he finally arrived from Saint-Etienne.
Unfortunately, Gabriel won’t be able to feature against Liverpool in the Community Shield on Saturday as he’ll have to quarantine for 14 days following his arrival from France on Monday, as per government guidelines. The defender won’t even be able to start training with his Arsenal team mates until just a few days before the new season begins.
Gabriel’s arrival is expected to lead to at least one centre-back leaving Arsenal this summer with Sokratis being heavily linked with a move to Italy while Rob Holding could also be heading for the exit door.
