The question of the third central defender due to Militao’s problems remains unresolved at Real Madrid and the possibility that it is Dayot Upamecano is dwarfing. The French defender from German Leipzig is the one that Zidane likes, but his signing has been greatly complicated. The crisis is tightening and although Leipzig would be willing to lower its claims (from € 60M of its clause to € 40M), Bayern has withdrawn and not even the agent of Upa bet on a transfer this summer. A scenario in which the other options that Madrid manages for that position can gain weight. Juni Calafat, the club’s transfer manager, follows Gabriel Magalhaes. The burly central of French Lille is a promising and, above all, cheaper alternative…
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This promising Brazilian defender meets the criteria they like in the white club. Very young (turned 22 last December) and with a certain European flight (it is essential in Lille, fourth in this Ligue1 that has dropped the curtain abruptly), it is international U-23 with Canarinha and has a relevant advantage. Unlike Militao, Gabriel is left-handed, ideal to complement the two bonnets of the defense, Ramos and Varane, both right-handed.
A Lille vendor and passport …
Also, Lille is prone to sell. Its president is the Spanish-Luxembourgian Gerard Lopez and last season he released five starters for € 143M. Gabriel had a hard time ‘breaking’ in Lille but it was a very cheap investment, the French club barely spent € 3M on his transfer from the Brazilian Avaí. Its current appraisal is around € 20M, it is more affordable than Upamecano. The obstacle for Gabriel would be the passport issue. A problem that Madrid is trying to accelerate with Vinicius to free that place from outside the community.
Another drawback is Chelsea, who has a body advantage over the rest of the suitors. At the end of April Gabriel’s possible arrival at Stamford Bridge took shape and the defender himself sent public signals to Lampard, the manager of the Blues. But as with Upamecano, the greats are cautious and the future of this Brazilian defender is not yet written. At the moment, orbits in Plan B of Madrid for a market that will be more atypical than ever.
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