Lille president Gerard Lopez has provided another update on defender Gabriel Magalhaes’ future amid reports he is close to joining Arsenal.

There have been claims in both England and France that the Brazilian is on the verge of moving to the Emirates in a £22m deal, with some even suggesting a medical has been scheduled. However, Lopez has dismissed those reports, stating that the centre-back has not decided which club he will be joining yet. He did, though, confirm a decision will be made very soon:

“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. 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.”

Napoli are believed to be the Gunners’ main contenders for Gabriel, although Manchester United and Everton have also registered their interest in the player over the past few weeks.

Despite a limited transfer budget, Arsenal are looking to be proactive in their attempts to rebuild their squad, with technical director Edu and head coach Mikel Arteta now spearheading the recruitment drive following the departure of Raul Sanllehi at the weekend.