Arsenal’s Gabriel ‘not for sale’ amid Al Ittihad, Real Madrid interest

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has said that defender Gabriel Magalhaes is not for sale, following interest from Al Ittihad and Real Madrid.

The Brazil central defender has come off the bench in both of the Gunners’ Premier League matches so far this season and is believed to have been offered a big-money deal by Saudi Pro League side Al Ittihad.

Real Madrid are also interested in signing the 25-year-old, according to a report from The Mirror.

Arsenal signed Jurrien Timber this summer, who was expected to be above Gabriel in the pecking order, but he is likely to be unavailable for seven months after picking up a knee injury during the Gunners 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest.

Arteta decided against including Gabriel in the starting 11 in Monday’s meeting with Crystal Palace, but said that ongoing transfer speculation played no part in his decision.

“Nothing at all. It’s about the games that we were expecting, what I was expecting, how we wanted to defend and attack and our belief it was the best thing,” he said.

“He’s played in both games, he’s helped us to win both games for different reasons. He was really good today, he absolutely dominated the box. He’s going to play a lot of games. That’s the decision sometimes.”

With just nine days remaining in the transfer window, Arsenal would also be left with little time to find a potential replacement. The Saudi transfer window is open until September 20, so Al Ittihad could continue to pursue the player.

Cover Photo: Arsenal – Emirates Stadium by Paul Hudson used under license by CC BY 2.0.