Manchester United Transfer News: Latest Rumours on Gabriel Paulista, Dani Alves

Posted Sunday, January 25, 2015 by Bleacherreport.com

Louis van Gaal has defensive reinforcements in sight this winter, but the Manchester United boss looks to have missed out on Gabriel Paulista, while hopes remain alive in the pursuit of Barcelona's Dani Alves.

According to Bleacher Report's Spanish expert Guillem Balague, Arsenal will complete the signing of Gabriel for a fee of £15 million, eliminating the Brazilian from United's list of targets:

Arsenal pay £15m for Gabriel and Villarreal €1m for the loan deal of Joel Campbell till the end of the season

— Guillem Balague (@GuillemBalague) January 24, 2015
Earlier on Saturday, Chisanga Malata of the Daily Star reported the Red Devils were out to hijack a move for Villarreal centre-back Gabriel, but it seems the English giants must now look elsewhere.

Malata quoted Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger as recently hinting that a deal for the Sao Paulo native was close and the premonition looks to be correct following Saturday's announcement:

Talks are progressing well. There is no need to say much more at this stage. Talks are slowly progressing but there is a chance we can strike a deal. We want the player and don't necessarily want to do it in the summer - we have to try and sort it out now. We are ready to pay the price for a player if he is good enough. If the price is right, we will pay.

If it were a matter of money alone, United may have been considered favourites for the player's signature, but in acting first, the Gunners have recruited a player who improved Villarreal's defence significantly over the past 18 months.

It seemed Gabriel is at least primed for a La Liga exit after being omitted from Villarreal's squad this weekend, per Pete O'Rourke of Sky Sports:

Arsenal target Gabriel Paulista has been left out of Villarreal's squad for their game against Levante, with a move seemingly imminent #AFC

— Pete O'Rourke (@SportsPeteO) January 23, 2015
The Yellow Submarine possess the joint-third best defence in La Liga at present, having conceded only 17 goals this season, a record which can certainly be in part attributed to Gabriel's influence.

Per Squawka, the 24-year-old has performed an average of nine defensive actions per game, as many as any other player in the Villarreal squad, winning 57 percent of all his duels.

Bleacher Report's James McNicholas recently went into more detail regarding Arsenal's chances of landing the La Liga totem this month:

Centre-back isn't the only position that could do with an upgrade, however, and the growing rumour of Alves' Old Trafford arrival is gaining momentum.

The Daily Star's Marc Williams writes that United are ready to make their move for the Barca defender, out of contract this summer, despite rumours of a Camp Nou extension refusing to go away.

Alves turns 32 toward the end of this season, and with Manchester United juggling wing-back duties on the right flank between Antonio Valencia and Rafael, it's understandable there's a desire to improve.

Alves is yet to decide where his future lies, and Inside La Liga cite the player's agent and ex-wife, Dinorah Santa Ana, as saying he'd like to remain in Catalan country, but there are other options available:

Alves' agent: Dani would like to stay at Barcelona, but there's interest from other clubs

— Inside La Liga (@InsideLaLiga) January 22, 2015

In his prime, the Brazilian was seen as arguably the best player in the world in his position, figuring as a key member behind Barca's success over recent years.

Despite his drop in reputation, Luis Enrique has utilised the player extensively this season, as shown by Barcastuff, with summer acquisition Douglas not yet seen as ready to fill the void:

Most minutes for Barcelona this season: Messi 2361 - Alves 1986 - Alba 1906 - Mascherano 1889 - Busquets 1859 #fcblive [via @barca19stats]

— barcastuff (@barcastuff) January 23, 2015

In a time of desperation, United may well be willing to meet the wage demands of a player who turns 32 in May just to boast his initial impact, fitting into the wing-back system Van Gaal is hoping to promote.

The chase for Gabriel may be as good as over, but given Alves' availability, Van Gaal may yet be hopeful of tying up the recruitment of one star Brazilian this winter.