Even by the standards of Arsenal transfer sagas the move for Gabriel Magalhaes is starting to drag on and on.
It is not so much the time in which it has been an extremely live issue - Arsenal only made their move after the end of the season on August 1 - but that it appears to have hit pause when its final act was in sight.
Arsenal and Lille have reached an agreement over a transfer fee, believed to be worth £25million. Personal terms would not be a problem with the outline of a five-year contract in place. The ball is firmly in Gabriel's court.
The challenge now is getting a firm agreement in place. Arsenal believe they are closing in on such a deal but their rivals are numerous. Below football.london examines where the deal stands and what has to happen for Gabriel to become a Gunner.
When will Gabriel decide?
The £25million question. The simple reality is Arsenal and his other suitors do not know when Gabriel will decide his club.
Sources close to the player have indicated to football.london that Gabriel is prepared to take his time over what could be the defining move of his career. He is aware of interest from a host of clubs and is refusing any attempts to set a deadline on his decision.
That means that the timeline set out by Lille owner Gerard Lopez yesterday may well go unfulfilled.
"His choice will be made probably between today & tomorrow," Lopez told talkSPORT on Thursday. At the time of writing on Friday afternoon no such decision has been made and there is no indication that that will change in the coming hours.
Who are the Gunners' rivals?
Gabriel's delay may be due to the emergence of suitors whose interest was not as clear cut as Arsenal's. For much of this month it has been a two horse race between the Gunners and Napoli for the 22-year-old's signature.
Everton were longstanding admirers and pushed for a deal before the Premier League's restart yet they seem to have abandoned their pursuit as Arsenal and Napoli grew in prominence.
The latter may soon find themselves squeezed out of the race with Manchester United monitoring events with interest. The aforementioned trio of Arsenal, Everton and Napoli are so far the only clubs to have agreed terms with Lille - there is currently no clear indication that the Red Devils have even discussed a transfer fee with Gabriel's club - and as such the Gunners remain in the driving seat.
Manchester United's need for a left-sided centre-back has been well-publicised and it is true, however, that both they are admirers of Gabriel's talent. PSG have also been linked. Few would not be after an impressive season in Ligue 1.
For the time being Arsenal remain at the head of the pack but they will be acutely aware that the longer it takes to finally nail down an agreement the greater the chances of a rival truly emerging at the 11th hour.
What will happen with his arrival in England?
Even if the deal is done there are complications to be dealt with. As football.london revealed yesterday, Gabriel or any other player arriving from a 'non-corridor' nation would be required to quarantine. The Premier League is insistent there will be no exceptions.
Arsenal's likeliest response to this would be to arrange for medical tests to be conducted abroad without flying any of their own staff out. Gabriel would then travel to England and self-isolate for a fortnight before joining his team-mates at Colney.
That is, of course, if the Gunners win the race.
How would he fit in at Arsenal and what does his arrival mean for other team-mates?
Gabriel would add an additional left-footed centre-back to a squad that has Pablo Mari and five right-footed options.
Arteta was eager to add more versatility to his backline, hence the acquisition of Mari in January, and prefers to have a left-footer and right-footer among his centre-backs.
As indicated above, Arsenal are already overloaded when it comes to options in central defence and are prepared to listen to offers for several of them. Only William Saliba, Mari and David Luiz would have cause to be confident that their futures in north London are secure.
Sokratis, who has previously indicated a desire to see out the final 10 months of his Arsenal contract, has been linked to Napoli and Roma whilst Calum Chambers is said to be of interest to Fulham, who took him on loan for the 2018/19 season. Rob Holding is on newly promoted Leeds' list of options.
How long has he been a target?
Arsenal were watching every Lille game in the 2018/19 season as they monitored Nicolas Pepe, who they would eventually sign in a club record £72million deal. Gabriel established himself in Christophe Galtier's side during the second half of last season, his blend of pace, composure and technical prowess earning him the starting spot previously reserved for club captain Adama Soumaoro.
The Gunners continued to track him and were linked with a January move, though at the time his price tag appeared to be out of their reach for a mid-season move. The financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic appears to have prompted Lille to consider selling him at a lower price, with £25million viewed as a shrewd price for a young defender who has already impressed in the Champions League.
What are his strengths and weaknesses?
He is tall, quick and exceptional on the ball. At Lille he functioned as as much of a deep-lying playmaker as a traditional centre-back, leading his time for final third passes.
Gabriel's most obvious weakness might be the one that is most beyond his control. For a player with such a sizeable price tag he is relatively inexperienced having played just 40 Ligue 1 games.
