Everton desperate to beat Man Utd to £25m deal with medical previously completed

Everton are looking to beat Manchester United to the signing of Gabriel Magalhaes, despite their initial deal for the defender going cold earlier in the year. The Brazilian is attracting interest from five clubs therefore Lille are already preparing for his departure.

There is a good chance that Gabriel will end up in the Premier League and that is where he would prefer to move if he does leave before the start of next season.

Lille have already snapped up Ajax’s Sven Botman as his replacement.

The young Dutchman is also left-footed and likes to play out from the back like Gabriel.

Napoli appeared to be at the front of the queue after expressing an interest in a double deal for the defender and Victor Osimhen.

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The Toffees even conducted medical checks according to The Independent and were looking to conclude proceedings before the deal stalled.

COVID-19 then called football and all transfer operations to a halt and it looked like the deal was off.

But now Everton are prepared to fight United in the race to sign him with Carlo Ancelotti keen to bring him to Goodison Park.

Ed Woodward reportedly held talks with the player’s agents over the weekend.

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Gabriel is yet to make a decision on his future though and will take his time to ponder his options.

Ancelotti has already made it clear he will call on the club’s academy if youngsters are good enough while also outlining his plans to explore the transfer market.

“The sense of belonging is really important” he said. “That a player feels something special when he wears the shirt is very important.

“It’s not always possible to find players from the academy with the right qualities. But if you are able to, it will be important for success.

“So we look to players from the academy, but also to improve the squad with signings we really need.”

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source: express.co.uk