Everton are prepared to end their transfer pursuit of Gabriel Magalhaes amid the competition from the likes of Arsenal and Napoli, Liverpool Echo claims.
The Toffees were in advanced negotiations with Lille for the centre-back earlier in the year and they were hoping to finalise a deal worth £30m prior to the coronavirus outbreak.
The pandemic has led to financial losses for almost every club and it is now reported that the Toffees are reluctant to pay above the market price for the defender.
Both Arsenal and Napoli have made offers of £22.6m for Gabriel, but the Merseyside outfit are unwilling to enter the bidding war for the 22-year-old.
Hence, the club are prepared to look elsewhere and it is revealed that the focus could lie on bolstering the midfield department instead ahead of the new season.
Meanwhile, the Gunners are said to hold the advantage in signing Gabriel from Lille despite Napoli having a gentleman’s agreement with the Ligue 1 side.
The Naples outfit need to sell Kalidou Koulibaly first before making their move for Gabriel and that sees the Gunners in a strong position to secure the defender’s services.
Everton have yet to make any high-profile signings during the current transfer window. Niels Nkounkou remains the only arrival from French side Marseille.
The 19-year-old left-back joined the club on a free transfer last month, but they had to pay a compensation training fee of around £240,000 to Les Phoceens.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
