Gabriel Magalhaes has reportedly been made aware of Juventus ' interest in snapping him up from Arsenal this summer, but the Gunners remain determined to keep hold of their Brazilian star.
Gabriel has evolved into a key player for Mikel Arteta's side since he was lured to London in a £27million deal from Lille back in September 2020, and struck up a strong understanding with defensive partner Ben White last term.
It is no surprise then that Gabriel's impressive form has not gone unnoticed by clubs in Europe - and the Gunners could be left vulnerable to any attempts to prise the 24-year-old away from the Emirates after they failed to qualify for next season's Champions League.
And according to Brazilian outlet UOL, the defender has become 'aware' of Juventus' interest, which was exclusively revealed by The Mirror earlier this month. The report claims that the Italian giants have made contact with both Gabriel and the Gunners, although it is stressed that any potential deal would be far from straightforward.
Rather than weakening his team, Arteta is determined to bolster his squad to give the Londoners another chance at ending their five-year exile from the Champions League next season. The Gunners were in pole position to earn a spot in Europe's premier competition for the first time since the 2016-17 campaign before their form collapsed in the closing weeks of the season.
As well as a top-class striker, Arteta is also reportedly in the market for another left-back, and a central midfielder. The Spaniard believes that his side can muscle in on the Premier League's top-four with some minor fine-tuning , and it is difficult to imagine the Gunners sanctioning the sale of one of their top stars.
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The Mirror revealed earlier this week that the Gunners are convinced that Gabriel wants to stay at the Emirates, and the Arsenal hierarchy are even thinking about offering the former Lille man a new contract.
Gabriel was just one of a number of first-team names who were struck down by injuries in the final weeks of the season, which had a major hand in the Gunners late implosion in the top-four race. And although Gabriel battled back to fitness to play a part in Arsenal's season finale, the Gunners man could be an injury concern heading into the summer after he missed out on Brazil's 5-1 win over South Korea on Thursday night.
The defender sat out the international clash after experiencing pain in a left thigh muscle earlier in the week, while White was forced to withdraw from the England squad to continue his recovery from the injury that sidelined him in the final weeks of the season.
