Gabriel Magalhaes to Arsenal latest: Gunners to discover in next 48 hours if they have won transfer race

Lille owner Gerard Lopez says Arsenal and Napoli will find out in the next 48 hours if they have won the race for Gabriel Magalhaes.

The defender is ready to leave Ligue 1 this summer and Lille are prepared to let him go for a fee of around £22million.

Both Arsenal and Napoli have confirmed to the French club that they are ready to pay that fee for the 22-year-old, who is now weighing up his options.

Arsenal are growing confident they will win the race for the Brazilian, who is keen to ply his trade in the Premier League.

But Lopez says either way Arsenal and Napoli will know by the weekend where Gabriel is heading.

Key decision: Lille defender Gabriel Magalhaes must decide whether he will join Arsenal or Napoli
AFP via Getty Images

“I think he has narrowed it down,” he told talkSPORT. “I think it is fair to say that Arsenal is high interest to him. Napoli is of high interest to him. We have given him plenty of time to make up his mind.

“We have always said, like we did for [Nicolas] Pepe: ‘Look if we have an agreement with a club, or with two clubs or three clubs, and the agreements are the same, we are not going to create a bidding competition’ - which is always fair.

“So we said: ‘Look, whenever we have the number that we want, feel free to choose’.

“And that choice, I don't think I am giving up too much if I tell you that choice is going to be made probably between today or tomorrow.

Arsenal's summer transfer window

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“I would be unable to tell you at this stage what it is. We have given him some recommendations, but we don’t like to talk about those in public because we don’t want people to feel bad or whatever.

“But yes we have told him where we think he could and should go. But at the end of the day he and his environment make their choice and we support that.”

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