Arsenal close to agreement over Gabriel Magalhães new contract

Arsenal star defender, Gabriel Magalhães, is now close to signing a new contract at the club.

The Gunners welcomed Gabriel from LOSC Lille in 2020, as Mikel Arteta’s fourth signing as Arsenal boss, and the Brazilian is now on course to extend his stay at the club.

Despite being dubbed as error-prone during his early days in North London, Gabriel has become renowned as one of the most reliable and best defenders in Europe.

His impressive performances in red and white saw him catch the eye of potential suitors in Saudi Arabia, most notably in the summer of 2023, but Arsenal successfully fended off their interest.

His current deal at The Emirates expires in 2027, but with the Gunners keen to tie him down, negotiations have accelerated, with an agreement now close, according to BBC Sport.

The defender suffered a season-ending hamstring injury in his side’s victory over Fulham in April, and was sidelined for the final ten matches of the campaign, including both Champions League ties against Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain.

Before then, Gabriel registered 14 clean-sheets in all competitions that season, and netted an impressive five goals, notably during the draw at Manchester City, and the impressive victory as they travelled to Sporting CP.

His partnership alongside William Saliba has also been viewed as one of the best in Europe, and after Real Madrid’s interest in the Frenchman dropped, after signing Dean Huijsen, the club are also hopeful of tying him to a fresh deal.

While the club are in the process of renewing key contracts in North London, including Myles Lewis-Skelly, Ethan Nwaneri, Leandro Trossard, and Bukayo Saka, Arsenal are also acting quickly in the transfer market.

With the deal for Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi being viewed internally as complete, they have also initiated concrete talks with 21 year-old striker, Benjamin Šeško.