Man Utd pull out of Gabriel transfer fight providing Arsenal with huge boost in pursuit of £30m Lille defender

MANCHESTER UNITED have reportedly pulled out of the race against Arsenal to sign Gabriel Magalhaes from Lille.

The Brazilian defender, 22, looks set to leave the French club in a £27million move this summer.

Le10 Sport claim United have ended their pursuit for the Ligue 1 star.

It is reported that the Red Devils will instead focus on signing Benoit Badiashile from Monaco.

Arsenal are leading the race for Gabriel's signature after reportedly having a £27m offer accepted.

But Napoli are still hoping to lure the Brazilian star to Italy this summer.

Everton, Chelsea and Tottenham are among the long list of clubs that have been linked to him.

Mikel Arteta is determined to sign Gabriel to bolster his dodgy defence for the 2020/21 campaign.

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And fans went wild when the 22-year-old's brother started following Arsenal on Instagram.

Despite wanting to keep hold of Gabriel, Lille president Gerard Lopez has confirmed the club will not stand in his way.

He told BBC World Service: "We explain to him and his environment, his agent, what we are looking for, and once we got those offers the choice is his, like we did with Nico [Pepe] and Victor [Oshimen].

"We are there now, so we told him: 'Eventually you have to make a decision but we're not pressing you'.

"I think he will make it this week, or next week at the latest.

"He is leaving, we've given the OK for that. There's a lot of competition.

"He's a young player so he's got to make sure he makes the right decision.

"We help him out a little bit so we tell him: 'We think this might be the right manager or club for you'.

"He's got so much talent, he will succeed wherever he goes."