Report: Arsenal hopeful of signing Lille's Gabriel after £22M offer

Arsenal are hopeful of closing another deal with Lille after submitting an offer worth approximately £22 million for defender Gabriel Magalhaes, sources told James Olley of ESPN.

Gabriel, 22, has been linked with a host of teams in recent months, with both Everton and Napoli reportedly coming close to finalizing a transfer at various points. Manchester United are also monitoring the situation, according to Olley, but it's unclear if they've submitted an official offer.

"He (Gabriel) is one of the players that we allowed to exit the club this summer, he asked for it and wants to try something else," Lille president Gerard Lopez said in an interview with Sky Sports on Sunday.

"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."

Should Arsenal sign the Brazilian center-back, it will mark the second time in as many years they've come to terms with Lille on a big move; the Gunners paid a club-record fee, believed to be £72 million, for Nicolas Pepe last summer.

The Premier League club is looking to add more defensive cover despite the arrival of French teenager William Saliba. The 19-year-old is set to begin his spell in north London after being signed and loaned back to Saint-Etienne last summer.