Gabriel Magalhães says he almost joined Palmeiras before Europe move | OneFootball

Gabriel Magalhães says he came close to joining Palmeiras before leaving Brazil for Europe.

He said his agent had alerted him to offers from Palmeiras and Flamengo while he was at Avaí, adding that a former Palmeiras director, now with the national set-up, tried to sign him. According to Nosso Palestra, he described the interest as genuine.

An academy graduate at Avaí, Gabriel debuted in 2016 and made 39 senior appearances. He joined Lille in January 2017 aged 19, then spent loans at Troyes and Dinamo Zagreb.

Now at Arsenal, he is a mainstay under Mikel Arteta and recently won the Premier League. In 2020 he signed for around R$ 200 million and has 258 appearances for the club, scoring 24 goals.

This season he has played 50 times, with four goals and five assists. He has 17 caps and was in the 2024 Copa América squad.

The 28-year-old will contest his first World Cup, named by head coach Carlo Ancelotti among Brazil’s 26 for 2026.

Palmeiras face Junior Barranquilla in the Libertadores on 28 May at 19:00 Brasília time.

Source: Nosso Palestra