Arsenal sign Brazilian defender Gabriel Magalhaes from Lille for £22m

Arsenal have announced the signing of Lille defender Gabriel Magalhaes.

The 22-year-old centre-back has signed a long-term contract at the Emirates Stadium for a fee understood to be in the region of £22million.

Gabriel joins fellow Brazilians David Luiz and Willian, the latter having recently joined on a free transfer from Chelsea, in north London.

Technical director Edu said: “We are delighted to have signed Gabriel. He is a player we have been studying for a while and he was in demand from many clubs, so we are proud to have agreed and completed this transfer with Lille and the player. "Gabriel is a player of high quality and Mikel and his coaches are looking forward to integrating him into the club.”  

The defender has been given the No 6 shirt for the upcoming season, the club confirmed.

Mikel Arteta said: “We welcome Gabriel to Arsenal. He has many qualities which will make us stronger as a defensive unit and as a team.

"He has proved with Lille that he is a defender with many outstanding attributes and we are looking forward to watching him grow as an Arsenal player.”