'Not even for €200m!' - Romano drops update on MEGA Arsenal transfer
Tom Weber
- Updated: 8 Sep 2023 05:31 CDT
- 3 min read
Arsenal 'never wanted to sell' defender Gabriel Magalhaes this summer amid Saudi links, according to Fabrizio Romano.
The Arsenal centre-back has experienced an odd start to the campaign. Despite forming an exceptional defensive partnership with William Saliba last season as the Gunners came close to winning the Premier League, the Brazilian has thus far merely started one game - the 3-1 win over Man Utd - under Mikel Arteta this term.
Gabriel only featured off the bench in the Gunners' first two Premier League games and he didn't play at all in the 2-2 draw with Fulham. This raised some eyebrows and, more worryingly for Arsenal, it attracted the attention of Saudi clubs looking for an elite defender.
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Chief among them were reigning Pro League champions Al-Ittihad, led by Karim Benzema, Fabinho and N'Golo Kante. The Jeddah giants were looking at high-profile centre-backs for the entire duration of the Saudi transfer window, even being linked with Raphael Varane at one point.
They ultimately snapped up Italy international Luiz Felipe from Real Betis for €22 million shortly before the window closed, but they had been very interested in Gabriel.
No chance
The north London club, however, had at no point any intention or inclination to cash in on the 25-year-old defender. According to Fabrizio Romano, "Arsenal never wanted to sell Gabriel Magalhaes this summer."
"[It was] never a concrete option despite interest from Saudi," the transfer expert continued, "not even a negotiation between clubs. 'Not even for €200m!', this was the comment from sources close to negotiations replying to Gabriel-Saudi links."
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Perhaps with Arsenal dropping points against Fulham without Gabriel and then easily beating United with him in the XI, Mikel Arteta will fully reinstate the Brazilian after the international break, putting an end to his odd defensive experiment.
