Man Utd Hold Talks With Agent of Lille Defender Gabriel Magalhaes

Manchester United are rumoured to have held talks with Lille central defender Gabriel Magalhaes, about a potential summer move.


The 22-year-old is still relatively inexperienced at the highest level - turning out just 39 times in Ligue 1 - but has been linked with a number of clubs after impressing throughout of the 2019/20 season.


Everton, Napoli and Paris Saint-Germain are understood to be keen on securing his services, but RMC Sport journalist Mohamed Bouhafsi has claimed that United have already reached out to his representatives in an attempt to thrash out a deal.


In a tweet, he said that Gabriel's agents had met with the 'leaders' of Manchester United. He went on to admit that 'no concrete offer' has yet been forward to Lille, adding that discussions are ongoing between the two clubs.


It's unknown at this stage where Gabriel may prefer to move to - if indeed he leaves Lille at all - but a switch to Old Trafford would undoubtedly provide a step-up in quality for him, as well as a route into playing regular Champions League football.


Magalhaes has attracted interest from a number of top teams

A starting place is far from guaranteed though, given the excellent form of Victor Lindelof and Harry Maguire towards the end of the campaign. That said, United are in the market for another central defender - if the right player at the right price becomes available - and Gabriel's strength of playing with his left foot is a preferred trait of manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær.


Lille may well be open to doing business with United - or any other interested party - after confirming the signing of Sven Botman from Ajax earlier this week, a player who could be viewed as a potential replacement for Gabriel.


A fee just shy of £30m has been mooted, a figure which is more than affordable for United despite the loss of matchday revenue owing to the global coronavirus pandemic.


United may also be able to raise further funds if they can ship out the likes of Alexis Sanchez and Chris Smalling on permanent deals, while the club may also look to move on Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo to reduce competition for places in defence.



Source : 90min