Arsenal report: Barcelona move for key defender
Arsenal have finally built their backline – but they might lose its leader this summer
Arsenal are facing the prospect of losing a key defender to Barcelona this summer.
Gunners fans perhaps felt as if the days of their stars leaving in their prime to Catalonia were behind them, with the likes of Marc Overmars, Emmanuel Petit, Alexander Hleb and Cesc Fabregas having all moved to the Blaugrana, on top of strikers Thierry Henry and most recently Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
But with Barcelona apparently over their financial woes and Xavi looking to add more reinforcements to his team this summer, the midfield legend might be pillaging fellow La Masia graduate Mikel Arteta's side for more finds.
Diario Sport claim that Barca are set to move for defender Gabriel in a bid to strengthen the backline, since left-sided defenders Clement Lenglet and Samuel Umtiti are both off this summer. Gabriel is left-footed.
The Brazilian has broken into his national team and been the leader in central defence for the Gunners, forming a strong partnership with Ben White. The Gunners have proven to be far more difficult to beat this season – and that is, in part, thanks to Gabriel's strength and command at the back.
Arsenal themselves have been linked with Torino defender Bremer, who is believed to be deep in discussions over a move across Serie A to Torino. The Gunners also have the highly-rated William Saliba who is set to return from successive loan stints at Saint-Etienne, Nice and Marseille.
Gabriel is worth £27m, according to Transfermarkt.
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Arsenal continue to be linked to new forwards, with Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah both out of contract at the end of this season. Paulo Dybala is one player who has reportedly caught the eye, while Cody Gakpo has been linked with a move this summer, too.
Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira has claimed that Mikel Arteta's success is no surprise to him and Arteta himself has defended his team's celebrations in the wake of criticism. Nacho Monreal, meanwhile, recently discussed Mesut Ozil's exit from the club with FFT.
Mark White is the Digital Content Editor at FourFourTwo. During his time on the brand, Mark has written three cover features on Mikel Arteta, Martin Odegaard and the Invincibles, and has written pieces on subjects ranging from Sir Bobby Robson’s time at Barcelona to the career of Robinho. An encyclopedia of football trivia and collector of shirts, he first joined the team back in 2020 as a staff writer.