Gabriel after an Arsenal match.
Gabriel Magalhaes transfer latest as potential Arsenal replacement identified.
Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes continues to be linked with a transfer away from the club.
The Brazilian centre-half is yet to start a single Premier League match so far this season, reduced to two substitute appearances against Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace. The former Lille star, who was a mainstay of the team last term, has been mooted as a potential target for European giants Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain in recent weeks.
However, the strongest interest arrived from Saudi Arabian side Al Ittihad with the President of the Saudi Federation said to have held a meeting with the player earlier this month. With all of that being said, football.london has rounded up the latest news surrounding the 25-year-old and the possibility of a transfer away from the Emirates Stadium.
Hint dropped
Gabriel has now hinted that he is set to stay at Arsenal on transfer deadline day, despite strong interest from Al-Ittihad. The Saudi club are looking for defensive reinforcements and are considering moves for PSG star Marquinhos and Liverpool's Joe Gomez.
The Arsenal star posted a picture of himself wearing the new Arsenal away kit on Instagram ahead of deadline day with a very interesting caption. The post hinted that he is looking to continue another chapter with the Gunners as the caption read: "Ready to write a new story!!!"Merson claim
Arsenal hero Paul Merson has admitted that he doesn't think Gabriel is currently on the bench merely for tactical reasons.
“I think something is up with Gabriel Magalhaes,” Merson told Sportskeeda. “I don’t see why Mikel Arteta would break up the effective centre-back pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba. It worked so well for them last season.
“So, I think there’s more to his exclusion from the starting lineup than it being a matter of team selection.”
Guehi option
According to the Daily Mail, Arsenal could target Crystal Palace centre-half Marc Guehi if Gabriel heads out the Emirates Stadium exit door this summer. football.london reported back in May that Guehi was among the players being considered by the north Londoners this summer.
Reports stated earlier this year that the Eagles would look to fetch a fee in the region of £50million for their star defender. But Roy Hodgson's side would be inclined to demand a much higher fee for the England international at this stage of the transfer window given how little time there is left to find a suitable replacement.
Arteta update
Gabriel was once again on the bench against Fulham on Saturday and despite Arsenal leading 2-1 late into the game, Arteta decided against putting him on, as he has done in the previous two Premier League fixtures this season.
The Gunners would go on to concede a late goal to Palhinha and were forced to settle for a share of the spoils, ruining their 100 per cent start to the season.
Before the match, Arteta had offered an update on the defender's situation. He said: "I don’t know if he understands but I told him. I think he understands the reason, whether he agrees or not, that’s something different. But the best way to do it is when you play, just tell me how blind I’m wrong, I am."
Gabriel was not given that chance on Saturday and it could be a big week for him and the club, with the potential for a change in formation and plans against Manchester United next weekend offering him a role back in the side...if he's still at the club.
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