Arsenal closing in on Lille defender Gabriel - reports

The Gunners are looking to remodel their defence after another disappointing year at the back and have been closely following the Brazilian in recent weeks.

Everton were the first club to have registered an interest in the 22-year-old but have since given up on bringing him to Goodison Park, while Napoli are still keen on bringing him to Italy and could yet attempt to beat Arsenal to the punch with a huge wage offer.

Arsenal are hoping to finalise the deal this week, having made him an offer of a five-year contract with a fee in the region of €30 million agreed with his club.

Gabriel would become Arsenal's second summer signing, following the acquisition of Willian on a free transfer from Chelsea.

Having started his career at Avai before moving to Lille in 2017, he could form a new centre-back partnership with William Saliba, who finally joins the Gunners after spending last season back on loan at Saint-Etienne.

It's possible that Arsenal’s leaders may have promised Gabriel he could forge a title-winning defensive partnership with 19-year-old William Saliba next season. It's a credible scenario.

Gabriel is a strong defender with good positional sense, which matches perfectly with the Premier League's playing style.

He has also developed his passing game this season, which must have pleased Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta.