Gabriel drops huge hint on Arsenal future amid Barcelona interest

Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez reportedly has his eye on the Brazilian.

Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes has said he ‘feels at home’ at the club and implied that he hopes to contribute to a successful future in north London.

According to Diario Sport, Xavi has urged Barcelona to sign the 24-year-old Brazilian. The manager feels he would make an ideal replacement for Clement Lenglet and Samuel Umtiti. The French defenders are out of favor at Camp Nou and may leave in the summer.

Xavi’s interest in Gabriel comes following a breakthrough season for the center-back alongside Ben White in the Arsenal backline.

‘I feel at home at Arsenal’

But while Gabriel has made no comment on the Barcelona rumors, the former Lille man has clarified that he is settled at the Emirates.

“Well, in my first season I certainly learned a lot,” he told Premier League Productions about his time at Arsenal so far.

“It’s been a real challenge here and I am more and more settled every day. I feel better and better with each passing game. At the same time, we know we all can’t be perfect in every match. We do make mistakes.

“But I feel good, I feel at home at Arsenal. It’s a great squad to be a part of and together I am sure we can achieve a lot. I am very happy here.”

What next for the Gunners?

After back-to-back defeats to Crystal Palace and Brighton, Mikel Arteta’s side hope to revive their top-four challenge in the Premier League on Saturday away to Southampton.

At the time of writing, Bet365 has priced an Arsenal win at odds of 1.95. This suggests they have a 51% chance of all three points at St. Mary’s.