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Strange claims from the Portuguese media today talk about an offer from Arsenal for Benfica midfielder Gabriel Appelt Pires.

Newspaper A Bola brings a story about a meeting that the player’s agent had with the Eagles this week. It’s said they discussed the offers there are for him.

There are clubs from Spain and England who want the 26-year-old, besides Turkish side Galatasaray, but the idea would be to keep him at Benfica for longer.

The Eagles would still be open to a good sale, and according to A Bola, they could accept an offer of between €15m and €20m, given the ongoing Covid-19 crisis.

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That’s where a weird claim comes, with A Bola saying Arsenal recently had a €15m bid rejected by the Eagles.

We had never seen anything about the Gunners and Gabriel, so this must be some new information coming from the newspaper.

Gabriel stood out for Benfica this season and it’s no surprise to see him linked to other clubs, yet it’s still strange to see this Arsenal claim.

Given he last renewed in November, and has a contract until 2024, this is unlikely be an agent game to pressure Benfica into a pay-rise. There’s the possibility the Gunners are being used to flush out interest from other clubs.