According to Duncan Castles, Chelsea’s offer for Brazilian centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes has been accepted by Lille. Speaking on the latest episode of The Transfer Window podcast, the football reporter revealed the French side have accepted €35m bids from Chelsea and Premier League side Everton for the 22-year-old.
Gabriel kicked off his career at Avai FC in his homeland and then joined the Great Danes for £2.7m in January 2017. After struggling to nail down a spot in the starting lineup, the defender was shipped out on loan to Troyes and Dinamo Zagreb respectively, before returning to his parent club for the start of the 2018/19 season (Transfermarkt).
The left-footed centre-back formed a partnership with former Southampton player Jose Fonte at the back, helping Lille to qualify for the Champions League, and finishing second behind Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1 (Sky Sports).
Although it is unclear if Frank Lampard is currently looking for a new centre-half, as Ethan Ampadu is expected to reunite with the first team after he finishes his loan spell with RB Leipzig, it is fair to say Gabriel would make a great addition to the club legend’s squad.
Magalhaes has put in a string of impressive defensive shifts in Ligue 1, averaging 1.7 tackles per game, making a staggering 3.3 clearances on average, and completing 0.9 interceptions in the French top-flight via WhoScored.
Understandably Castles’ comments have divided the Stamford Bridge faithful, with some supporters dismissing the report as “fake.” However, others have insisted the Brazilian is the “best centre-back prospect in the market” and he would be a “great buy.”