Arsenal have stolen a march in the hunt for Lille defender Gabriel Magalhaes after holding 'positive' talks with the player regarding a transfer to the Emirates Stadium.
French outlets France Bleu and La Voix de la Nord ( via the Daily Record ) both state Arsenal have held face-to-face talks with the Brazilian this week.
The 22-year-old has been touted with a host of clubs across Europe and the Premier League, with Napoli, Everton and Manchester United attributed with an interest.
However, it's now suggested that Gabriel is on the verge of completing a move to Arsenal and is hoping to conclude a deal as soon as possible.
Lille are holding out for a fee of £27m for the South American defender and Arsenal will hope to use their close relationship with the club to get a deal over the line.
The Gunners negotiated a club-record £72m fee with the Ligue 1 side to bring Nicolas Pepe to North London last season, with the majority of that price being paid out in instalments.
Arsenal could adopt a similar strategy to land Gabriel but it is suggested that United's hunt for a new defender could see them lodge a move to leapfrog Mikel Arteta's side in the hunt for his services.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side can offer Champions League football next season, whereas Arsenal will be playing in the Europa League for a third season in a row.
Lille are keen to conclude their transfer business ahead of the new Ligue 1 season, which is due to begin on August 22 after the 2019-20 campaign was curtailed and not played to completion.
