Arsenal may be anticipating substantial interest in Brazilian defender Gabriel Magalhaes.
According to rumours, Arsenal would ask roughly £33.8 million (€40 million) for defender Gabriel. However, Juventus is said to be optimistic about signing the Brazilian at a low cost.
For months, Juve has been connected to Gabriel. Last season, he had a good relationship with Ben White at the Emirates.
He joined Arsenal from Lille in 2020 and has three years left on his contract. Arsenal’s resolve, however, appears to be put to the test by the Serie A giants.
Juve appear to be planning to offload top defender Matthijs de Ligt during this transfer season. Bayern Munich appear to be the favourites to sign the Dutch international, although Chelsea are also intrigued.
According to Alfredo Pedulla, an Italian football expert, Gabriel is one player Juve will look to replace De Ligt with. He reports that Juve and Arsenal made further contact on Sunday about a possible move.
And Juve believe they can get a deal done for less than Arsenal’s asking price of £33.8 million. De Ligt’s departure would result in a significantly greater price.
According to the report, an offer of £67.7 million, with bonuses up to £76.2 million, would be sufficient for Juve to sell. However, Juve is hoping to spend less than half of that on Gabriel in order to bring in another signing.
Nicolo Zaniolo, a midfielder for Roma, is a priority target for Massimiliano Allegri. Gabriel is not the only defender Juve is considering if De Ligt leaves.
Kalidou Koulibaly’s future at Napoli is still being discussed. The Senegal international is yet to respond to Napoli’s offer of a contract extension.
The loss of Gabriel may be devastating for Arsenal and Mikel Arteta. However, following a successful loan spell at Marseille last season, William Saliba is poised to return to the club this summer.
Arteta made it clear in May that he wants Saliba as part of his squad next term and explained why he was sent out on loan for a third time. He said: “He has to come back. He has the experience and the environment necessary to be competitive with us.
“If he had stayed with us this year, with a match of Premier League a week, with Ben White and Gabriel, he wouldn’t have had half the playing time he had with Marseille, that’s for sure. For his growth and what he can do next season that wouldn’t have been good.”
