ESPN’s Real Madrid correspondent Alex Kirkland weighs in on whether Gabriel Magalhães to the LaLiga giants makes sense in the summer after the Spaniards reportedly made contact with the Gunners over a potential deal.
The 28-year-old has developed into one of England’s most consistent central defenders since arriving from Lille in 2020 and, following a contract extension last summer, is now secured at Arsenal until 2029.
The extension underlined the club’s faith in Gabriel as a cornerstone of Mikel Arteta’s ARSENAL backline — a pairing that has seen him forge a formidable partnership with William Saliba — and one Arsenal are determined to keep intact.
Real Madrid’s enquiry — described as a discreet approach via intermediaries — comes at a time when Los Blancos are planning defensive reinforcements, with injuries and ageing options among the reasons behind their interest in adding another top-class centre-back.
Kirkland Said: ‘Eder Militão has had an injury prone few years, missing most of the last three seasons; Dean Huijsen is promising, but still unproven at the highest level, and hasn’t had the smoothest debut campaign; Antonio Rüdiger is 32 and could leave at the end of the season, while David Alaba, 33, is certain to depart. Raúl Asencio is a useful deputy, but doesn’t seem likely to ever cement a place as a regular starter.
‘All that means that a new central defender is a must. The big problem with Gabriel — an outstanding defender, whose form for Arsenal has not gone unnoticed in Spain — is that he is 28 years old, and has a contract at the Emirates until 2029, after agreeing a new deal last year.
‘What kind of sum would Madrid have to pay Arsenal to convince them to part with a key player, and is that really a likely scenario, given his age profile?
‘In recent years, Madrid’s transfer policy when it comes to experienced players, especially defenders, has been the complete opposite: signing them on a free transfer when their contract expires, like Rüdiger and Alaba, or for a minimal fee, like Trent Alexander-Arnold.
‘Spending big on Gabriel would run counter to that, and it feels highly unlikely that Florentino Pérez — whose biggest spends in recent years have been on Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappé, and more recently, youngsters Huijsen, Álvaro Carreras, Franco Mastantuono and Endrick — would sanction that kind of deal.
‘Instead, Madrid have been looking at yet more defenders who are coming towards the end of their contracts, like Liverpool’s Ibrahima Konaté, or even Gabriel’s teammate William Saliba before he signed a new deal at Arsenal, while they’ve also been tracking Borussia Dortmund’s Nico Schlotterbeck, whose contract is up in 2027.
‘That kind of signing feels much, much more likely than Gabriel.’
MORE ARSENAL NEWS AND GOSSIP –
Latest: BIg Gunners news: £200k-a-week Bundesliga star ‘very keen’ to complete Arsenal move in summer
Most Read: Brazilian Giants Now Actively Looking To Sell In-Demand Arsenal Target In Summer Window
Must Check Out: Worldie To Get £300k-A-Week Arsenal Offer – Gunners NOW Regretting January Transfer Decision – Arsenal Urged Sign Striker
LOVE ARSENAL? CLICK RIGHT HERE FOR ALL THE LATEST NEWS AND GOSSIP
Related
Discover more from IcFootballNews –
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.