Arsenal open to shock Gabriel sale with Serie A suitors interested

Matthew Briggs 16 May 2022 4:08 PM

Arsenal are open to the sale of centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes in the summer transfer window, claims a report.

Gabriel, a £23m signing in the summer of 2020, has developed into one of Mikel Arteta’s main men. The 24-year-old has made 33 Premier League starts this term and has forged a solid partnership with Ben White.

In fact the three games the Brazilian has missed were at the start of the season when he was injured. But the big defender could miss out on Monday night. In fact both Gabriel and White are doubts against Newcastle missing training on Sunday.

Arteta praised the defender earlier this month.

“I think he has grown so much, especially as a character,” he told the club’s website.

“Obviously his English is better, the way he is presenting himself, the respect that he earned around the boys.

“Those performances have been really consistent throughout the season, defending and now scoring really important goals for us, which is an add on that you hope to have in your centre defenders but it’s easy to find.”

But, according to Tuttosport, the north London outfit may be prepared to listen to offers for the Brazil international if they receive a sizeable offer.

An offer in the region of £50m may well be enough to persuade Arteta to sell the player.

The report also claims that Juventus are interested in signing Gabriel as a replacement for Giorgio Chiellini. But it’s worth pointing out the report fails to detail much about a move for Gabriel and does reference “English sources”.

Gabriel sale a huge gamble

The Old Lady are also pursuing Nikola Milenkovic, whose contract is set to expire in 2023.

Arteta is expected to welcome back William Saliba from his loan with Marseille this summer. The Gunners boss had not deemed Saliba to be up to speed so far, but he could change his mind this summer.

Selling Gabriel would certainly represent a gamble by Arteta. He seems to have found a partnership that could well excel in the seasons to come and cashing in would be a risk.

A replacement would not come cheap, especially if teams are aware that Arsenal are in need of a centre-back.

It’s also a long-shot that Juve would come up with a £50m offer for the former Lille man. They will probably consider waiting for 12 months to land Milenkovic on a free transfer as a better option.

Arsenal Gabriel Magalhaes