Arsenal have opened talks with Gabriel Magalhaes over a new contract as Gunners boss Mikel Arteta looks to reward the Brazilian for his stellar season so far.
The centre-back has established himself as one of the best in his position across the Premier League this term. Gabriel is viewed as one of the leaders within the Arsenal dressing room and only penned a contract extension as recently as October 2022, but those at the top of the Gunners hierarchy are keen to offer him fresh terms.
There were two years left to run on the previous extension, which in turn means Arsenal do not need to rush into landing Gabriel's signature on the next contract. According to the Daily Mail, the early discussions between the two parties have been positive.
If he signs the new deal as he is expected, it would represent a huge boost for the Gunners who have been able to tie much of their young talent to long contracts in recent months. Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka and William Saliba are just three who have committed their future to Arteta's Arsenal project.
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Gabriel's partnership with Saliba at the heart of the Gunners defence has been crucial to Arsenal's rise to the top of the table. Arteta's side are one point clear with four games to go, though Manchester City can leapfrog them into top spot if they win their game in hand.
According to Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, Gabriel's dynamic with Saliba has been a vital aspect of their title tilt this term. The Reds' own challenge has fallen apart in recent weeks after defeats by Crystal Palace and rivals Everton.
Speaking after the miserable Merseyside derby, Klopp made clear that the workload placed on his players cannot be used as an excuse given the demands are the same on their title rivals, citing Gabriel and Saliba as two of Arsenal's most reliable performers.
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"There are different aspects, definitely," the Liverpool boss explained. "Players who played all the games are not that fresh, but that is for other teams the same. I don’t want to use that as an excuse, really, as long as the boys are fit, not injured, that helps.
"Let me say, Gabriel and [William] Saliba played all the games for Arsenal. Did they play a little bit less than us? I don’t even know 100 per cent but they played a lot of games as well."
Gabriel was a shock omission from the first two starting line-ups in the league this term, but since then the defender has barely looked back and featured in 32 of the 34 league fixtures so far.
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