Arsenal are set to rival Liverpool in the race to sign Ajax defender and Dutch wonderkid Jorrel Hato as they are at risk of losing Gabriel.
The Gunners learnt last week that Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr are expected to try and tempt Gabriel to leave the Emirates and join them with a mouth-watering contract offer amounting to £323,000 per week.
Most Read on Gooner News
Gabriel is currently on a wage of around £100,000 per week, so the offer from Al Nassr could earn him over triple his salary at Arsenal. It is not yet understood if the defender is at all tempted to make the move and join Cristiano Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia.
However, Arsenal have begun to look for potential replacements should the Brazilian defender want to leave in the summer. One such name is Ajax star Jorrel Hato, who has also been linked to Premier League rivals Liverpool in recent months.
According to a report by ESPN, Arsenal are showing an interest in the 19-year-old centre-back alongside Liverpool, Real Madrid, Chelsea and AC Milan. Hato has made 42 appearances for Ajax this season, scoring three goals and providing six assists.
He has also become one of the Netherlands’ national team’s first choice centre-backs which is quite a feat for a 19-year-old. He is tipped to become one of the world’s best defenders in a few years time.
How much is Hato likely to cost Arsenal?
Seeing as the defender has a sky-high potential, and he’s wanted by some of the biggest football clubs in the world, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Ajax were to stick a very high price tag on him.
His current market value is estimated to be around £33 million, but any transfer of him this summer would likely have to command a fee upwards of £40m.
However, if Arsenal were to sell Gabriel to Al Nassr (assuming he wants to go), it would be easy for the Gunners to afford Hato seeing as they want around £84m for Gabriel in any summer transfer.
Click here to see Arsenal’s first team squad for the 2024/25 season.