Arsenal could sell a star who isn't getting in their starting lineup for far more than they paid for him – leaving Mikel Arteta to add one or two more new faces to his squad before Deadline Day.
The Gunners made it two from two away to Crystal Palace in the Premier League last night, grinding out a 1-0 result despite having defender Takehiro Tomiyasu sent off for two yellow cards within seven minutes.
Arsenal have strengthened heavily this summer but with Jurrien Timber facing a spell on the sidelines with an anterior cruciate ligament injury and Tomiyasu now suspended for a match – and unreliable himself with injuries – another defensive addition might be necessary to get through the season.
With Arsenal spending £200 million in the transfer market so far, a new buy may only be possible with a sale – and one option may have presented itself in the form of interest in Brazilian defender, Gabriel.
The Mail claims that interest from Real Madrid in the aftermath of Eder Militao's own ACL tear is genuine, while Al-Ittihad also apparently would like to bring Gabriel to the Saudi Pro League.
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After featuring in every fixture last season for the Gunners, the centre-back has been omitted from the starting line-up twice already this season. With Arteta looking to move to a system that uses Timber or Tomiyasu on the left of a back three, it may be tempting for him to cash in on Gabriel and use the capital to bring in a more stylistic replacement for Timber this season.
Arsenal bought the player from Lille for £27m, according to BBC Sport. With the north Londoners in a position of strength – they weren't expecting this approach and have other players to sell before Gabriel – they could well demand three times what they paid before considering a sale.
Publicly, Arteta has denied that the 25-year-old will be departing the Emirates Stadium in the coming days. It remains unlikely that he sacrifices a player who has been a cornerstone of his project over his three-and-a-half-year reign.
Gabriel is valued by Transfermarkt to be worth €55m.
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