Arsenal face losing a key member of their starting XI in the summer transfer window, with the side Cristiano Ronaldo plays for, Al-Nassr, reading a huge bid.
While the Saudi Pro League has disrupted the transfer market in recent seasons, Arsenal have escaped without losing a single player to the league. Mikel Arteta has managed to keep hold of everyone he has intended to, building a squad that has challenged for the Premier League title in the last three campaigns.
Next season could look a lot different for the Gunners, though, with Al-Nassr now targeting a key player in the side. With Arsenal already looking to bolster to make that next step in their hunt for glory, their summer task could be about to become a whole lot more difficult.
Arsenal at risk of losing key player to Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr
Along with Cristiano Ronaldo, Al-Nassr also have Sadio Mane, Jhon Duran, Marcelo Brozovic and Aymeric Laporte playing for them, with the Riyadh-based side sitting third in the Saudi Pro League table.
In order to take the next step and compete with Al-Ittihad and Al-Hilal, Al-Nassr are prepared to spend big, starting with an Arsenal defender.
According to GiveMeSport, Al-Nassr are lining up a move for Gabriel Magalheas, with Arsenal demanding an offer of at least £83m. The Brazilian has previously garnered interest from the Saudi Pro League, and Cristiano Ronaldo’s side are set to make that interest concrete in the summer.
Arsenal won’t want to lose such a valuable first team player in the summer, though, hence the high demands over the fee. While Transfermarkt values Gabriel at £63m, Jhon Duran, Ruben Neves, Aleksandar Mitrovic and Moussa Diaby have all completed lucrative moves from the Premier League to the Saudi Pro League in the last 18 months.
Mikel Arteta has previously planned for life without the centre-back as a starter, however. Though he’s now a key member of the XI, having started 27 of their 29 Premier League games this season, Arteta preferred the centre-back partnership of Ben White and William Saliba at the beginning of the 2023/24 season.
Injury to Jurrien Timber quickly saw that plan changed, with Gabriel establishing himself as Saliba’s partner in the centre of defence for the rest of the campaign. Arteta now won’t want to lose the 27-year-old, with other positions being prioritised – such as in centre midfield and up front – for 2025/26.
In FourFourTwo‘s view, while Gabriel is clearly an integral member of the Arsenal side, £83m is a lot of money to turn down for a player who isn’t quite at world-class level. That money could be used to bring another high-quality defender in while also strengthen other areas, too.
Arsenal are back in Premier League action after the international break, when they take on Fulham at the start of April.
