Name: Gabriel Magalhaes
Club: LOSC Lille
Date of Birth: 19 December 1997
Position: centre-back
Gabriel Magalhaes – His career so far
Magalhaes was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and the age of 15 he joined Avai FC’s youth academy. After four years as a youngster for the Brazilian side, the defender earned promotion up to the senior team in 2016 – Magalhaes played for just one season in Brazil before getting spotted by French side Lille.
The young Brazilian centre-back initially joined Lille in 2017 for just £1.5m, though before playing with the first team he was loaned out to Ligue 2 side Troyes, as well as Croatian club Dinamo Zagreb – both between 2017-18. Magalhaes made his way back to France ahead of the 2018-19 Ligue 1 season where he played 14 times in the league.
The 22-year-old made 24 league appearances last season as he helped his side finish fourth, in addition to playing in this seasons Champions League on six occasions.
Transfer Latest
Gabriel Magalhaes has been heavily linked with a move to the Premier League this summer, and the in-demand defender has been on the radar of Arsenal, most notably. Lille have valued the Brazilian at around £27m; however, according to the Guardian, a €22m fee has been agreed with the French side and now it is up to Magalhaes if agrees to move to North London this summer.
Player Profile
At 6ft 3in, Magalhaes has been hailed as a defensive powerhouse in his latest season. Keeping 12 clean sheets in the league, the Brazilians presence in Lille’s defence has been a key factor behind this stat. He is a strong and powerful centre-back, and he is a natural born leader.
At just 22-years-of-age, the Brazilian has plenty of promise for the future and his abilities are rare to find in today’s game, at such a young age. For his height he does have all the speed needed to catch speedy attackers and he is comfortable on the ball.