Report: Gerard Lopez likely to demand around £30m for Arsenal-linked Gabriel

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Lille president Gerard Lopez will reportedly demand a fee in the region of £30 million for defender Gabriel Magalhães, amid interest from Arsenal.

According to The Sun, the 48-year-old has come to that valuation after the Gunners paid £27 million to sign William Saliba from Saint-Etienne (BBC Sport).

Lopez is after a huge return on his original £1.5 million investment in the Brazilian, with Gabriel having been a key player for Lille this season.

The club sit fourth in the Ligue 1 table and have hopes of qualifying for next season’s Champions League.

Gabriel has been an ever-present for Christophe Galtier’s side, making 29 appearances in all competitions.

According to a recent report from Le10 Sport, Arsenal attempted to buy Gabriel in January but were unsuccessful – they then landed Pablo Mari from Flamengo on loan until the end of the season, with an option-to-buy (BBC Sport).

TBR’s view – One for Arsenal to watch

Arsenal should be closely monitoring the form of Gabriel from now until the end of the season.

Should Mari not live up to expectation, then the South American could be a really good alternative signing and potential partner for Saliba at the Emirates next season.

Standing at 6ft 3in tall, he’d bring more height to the Arsenal backline and, therefore, aerial prowess – as indicated by the 3.4 duels he wins on average per 90 (WhoScored).

Aged just 22, Gabriel has plenty of promise and £30 million may turn out to be good business were he to spend several years in the capital.