Arsenal centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes is receptive to Barcelona’s interest in the Brazilian, according to Spanish newspaper SPORT.
The 24-year-old is one of the players on the Catalan giants’ radar for the upcoming summer transfer window.
With the former Lille man being left-footed and impressing Xavi with his ability to win one against one duels, the Nou Camp side are hoping to tempt the South American to leave the Gunners.
With Barcelona’s current left-footed centre-back options Clement Lenglet and Samuel Umtiti not forming part of Xavi’s plans for next season, Gabriel could be the final piece in the La Liga side’s centre-halve jigsaw.
SPORT claim Arsenal have set their asking price for Gabriel, who has been at The Emirates for two seasons, at just £33million.
After missing the first three games of the season which brought three losses for Mikel Arteta’s side, Arsenal’s number six has started the last 27 top-flight matches.
Gabriel has established a good partnership with England international Ben White at the heart of the Gunners defence.
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Arsenal paid Lille £25m (GOAL) to bring Gabriel to North London and it looks like they will have to rebuff interest from a rejuvenated Barcelona side.
Arsenal’s ability to keep hold of the defender may come down to whether they secure Champions League football.
After back-to-back Premier League defeats to Crystal Palace and Brighton, Arsenal have handed the initiative to their fierce rivals Tottenham.
Arteta will be keen to keep Gabriel – who he once branded “terrific” in 2020 after a win over Burnley – and saying he has an “incredible future”.
But Gabriel will have seen how his former captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has fared since joining Xavi’s Barcelona.
The Gabonese striker has 10 goals and one assist from 14 games for the Europa League side.