According to reports, Arsenal received a verbal offer from a Saudi Arabian club of €200million (£170m) for centre-back, Gabriel Magalhaes last month which was straight away rejected by the Gunners.
The Brazilian defender was a target of Saudi Arabia all summer and after he didn’t start the opening the three Premier League games under Mikel Arteta the speculation began to build. However now it’s been confirmed that the club never had any intention of letting Gabriel leave this summer, even for an emphatic offer of £170million.
Although the Gunners received a verbal offer, the Saudi Arabian club never followed up with a formal bid as Arsenal insisted they had no intention of entering into negotiations for the sale of the 25-year-old centre-back.
Arsenal also received enquiries from PSG and Real Madrid earlier in the summer regarding Gabriel’s availability. However both European giants were met with the same response which was Gabriel is not for sale, at any price, this transfer window.
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Gabriel has since been reintroduced into the Arsenal side which most recently pulled off a dramatic last minute victory against Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium before the international break. The defender is also set to make his competitive international debut for Brazil on Friday night as he’s been named in the starting line-up for the first time to face Bolivia.
Gabriel formed an outstanding partnership with fellow centre-back, William Saliba last season and although the Brazilian didn’t start the opening three Premier League games for the Gunners, he still remains a integral part of Mikel Arteta’s squad going forward, especially with the Gunners back in the Champions League for the first time in seven years this season.
The Brazilian was also introduced into the leadership group at the beginning of the 2023/24 campaign, after Granit Xhaka left the club. Gabriel has taken the responsibility of wearing the captain’s armband on multiple occasions already this season after Mikel Arteta was impressed with his leadership skills during the title run-in a few months ago. This is another reason why the Gunners were so desperate to keep hold of the player ahead of this season.
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