Arsenal and Manchester United have reportedly joined a late chase for Gabriel Magalhaes.
The Lille defender has played exceptionally well this season and it was reported that Everton and Napoli are interested in the player. Everton had a decent season under Carlo Ancelotti after a poor start to the season and are looking to strengthen their backline with Magalhaes targeted as a prime option.
As for Napoli, they are preparing for life without their commanding centre back Kalidou Koulibaly who has been tipped to go to England to join Manchester City, United or Chelsea this summer. So even the Naples side has targeted Magalhaes as an able replacement.
It would now seem that two more sides have joined the fray to sign the player. Arsenal and Manchester United are two sides who are themselves in need of defensive reinforcement and it would seem that they are targeting Magalhaes as well now.
Lille president Lopez has given the player’s latest update:
“He is a real fighter and has immense physical presence but knows how to use it smartly,” Lopez told Sky Sports. “He is still raw and I know the Brazil national team are looking at him very seriously for the A-team. I think he is at the start of something big and he does everything to succeed.”
“He is one of the players that we allowed to exit the club this summer, he asked for it and wants to try something else.
“We clearly told him what our expectations were, we spoke to a number of clubs, our expectations were met by a number of clubs and we have given him the time to decide.
“It is going to be entirely his decision. We tend to try and steer our players in certain directions, but at the end of the day it’s the player’s decision. I know he is going to make a decision early next week.
“He is a super guy and a great football player and he wants to play, there has been a lot of interest but we have clearly decided to close the door to further clubs at this stage and let him choose.”
See More:Â Everton Players Salaries 2020 (Weekly Wages 2020)
