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Man United to miss out on 22-year-old rising Brazilian ace as PL rivals seal £27m deal

Gabriel Magalhaes during his Lille days
Gabriel Magalhaes during his Lille days.

Gabriel Magalhaes on the verge of joining Arsenal

According to The Times, Arsenal are closing in on the signing of Brazilian defender Gabriel Magalhaes after he completed his medical.

The Lille centre-half has been linked with the Gunners for quite a while now. However, reports on Thursday claimed that Manchester United had swooped in with a late bid to hijack the deal. (h/t The Telegraph)

Following this, it was claimed that the 22-year-old had decided to delay his decision on a transfer. However, it now seems that he has taken a call on his future, with the defender completing a medical.

Gabriel Magalhaes
Gabriel Magalhaes closing in on a transfer to Arsenal

Lille and Arsenal have agreed on a transfer fee of £27m, with the Gunners offering him a five-year contract. (h/t The Times)

While our backline showed great improvement over the second half of the 2019/20 campaign, chinks remain in the armour. Victor Lindelof remains unconvincing, as seen in the Europa League semi-final against Sevilla, while Eric Bailly doesn’t seem to go through a full season without being injured.

So bringing in someone like Gabriel, who has speed, is comfortable with the ball at his feet and, more importantly, is a left-footed defender, would have been a great move.

However, as always, it seems like Ed Woodward & co. left it a little too late to make a move for Gabriel.

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Solskjaer is looking to strengthen his defence

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Our rivals Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City have all confirmed new signings already. Now, Arsenal too seem to be closing in on a signing.

We need to act fast and in a decisive manner in the transfer market, or risk being left behind.

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