Juventus have been old they have no chance of signing Arsenal defender Gabriel this summer.
That is the view of former Gunners great Paul Merson, who reckons his old club would be crazy to let one of their best players walk. But Merson believes the lure of the Serie A giants isn't as strong as it used to be anyway - and that Brazil defender Gabriel is going nowhere.
Writing in his Daily Star column, Merson said: "Arsenal fans don't need to worry about Gabriel even though Juventus showed interest in him this summer. "I think he will stay at the club. I mean he plays every week. It's not like he's not playing. I don't think he'd leave to join Juventus.
"Him and Ben White look very very solid together and Mikel Arteta clearly rates him very highly. He's been their first choice for a while now. Juventus are not the Juventus of old either, are they? Years ago, if a team like them came running, you'd go. They were up there with Real Madrid and Barcelona.
"I don't really think that's the case at Juventus any more. Even Mathijs De Ligt is leaving. I'd be shocked if Gabriel left. I don't think Arsenal fans should worry that his head will get turned. I can see why Juventus want him. He's a good player. I thought he had a good season last season.
"But it would be one step forwards and two steps back if Arsenal let him go. I can't see it happening."
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Arsenal signed Gabriel from Lille for £23.14m in September 2020, beating off competition from the likes of Everton and Manchester United. He made 38 appearances for the Gunners last season, forming a solid partnership at the back with England defender Ben White.
And Merson reckons it would be madness to allow such an important partnership to break up at a time when the club are trying desperately to get back into the top four. He said: "They have always had trouble finding top quality defenders. They've found one in Gabriel. Don't lose him now.
"Him and Ben White look good together. They obviously like playing with each other and the big thing is they look after each other as a pair. I watch Manchester United and it's like everyone is looking out for themselves. So that is a major positive and they shouldn't break that up."