Gabriel Magalhaes' father drops Instagram hint that Arsenal transfer could be imminent

Gabriel Magalhaes' father Marcelo has appeared to drop a hint on social media that his son is close to joining Arsenal.

The Gunners are in talks to sign the Lille centre-back, boss Mikel Arteta looking to strengthen his backline ahead of the new campaign.

football.london understands Arsenal are pushing for an agreement, although the player is yet to indicate a firm decision on which club he will choose, with Napoli also keen.

Negotiations are ongoing, and it is thought personal terms for the centre-back will not pose a problem.

Art de Roche reacts to Raul Sanllehi's Arsenal departure

The 22-year-old was left out of the Lille squad for their pre-season friendly against AZ Alkmaar at the weekend, prompting further talk that he could indeed be on his way to the Emirates Stadium in the coming weeks.

And now his father has set tongues wagging after his Instagram activity.

The AFTV Instagram account posted a mocked up picture of Gabriel wearing the new Arsenal shirt, with the caption: 'Arsenal have reached an agreement with Lille defender Gabriel Magalhaes and are close to agreeing a deal with the club,' citing a report by Italian outlet Calcio Mercato.

(AFTV/Instagram)

And some eagle-eyed Arsenal supporters noticed that the defender's father 'liked' the post.

Speaking to Sky Sports over the weekend, Lille president Gerard Lopez confirmed that the Ligue 1 club are ready to let the centre-back leave this summer.

"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," he said.

"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."