TOTTENHAM boss Jose Mourinho has joined Arsenal in the race for Lille defender Gabriel Magalhaes.
Spurs have launched a £27million bid for the player to try and grab him from under the noses of their North London rivals and Italian side Napoli, according to football website Fichajes.net.
Spurs wants Lilles Brazilian centre-half Gabriel Magalhaes in a £27m dealCredit: Getty – Contributor
The 22-year-old Brazilian centre-half has made 24 appearances for the French side this season.
Mourinho knows centre-half is the position he most needs to strengthen.
Jan Vertonghen is set to leave next month on a free transfer.
Although Toby Alderweireld signed a new contract, Mourinho has question marks over the 31-year-old’s pace.
And Eric Dier has made key errors in matches, including giving away a penalty against Manchester United in the teams’ draw earlier this month.
Gunners boss Mikel Arteta also needs centre-halves.
Shkodran Mustafi will leave this summer, while David Luiz, despite his new one-year contract, has been guilty of poor errors at the back.
Arteta will hope Magalhaes turns out to be good competition for Frenchman William Saliba and Rob Holding next season.
But Mourinho hopes to agree a deal before the Gunners can react.
The Brazil Under-23 international would be his second signing after bringing in midfielder Gedson Fernandes in January.
He joined Lille in 2017 for just £2.8m.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
