Reports in Spain suggest the Gunners are ready to pay more than £15m for the 24-year-old centre-back, and while his coach is reluctant to let him go he admits a deal is possible

Villarreal coach Marcelino has admitted he could sell centre-back Gabriel to Arsenal Gunners boss Arsene Wenger has been criticised for his failure to bring in defensive reinforcements over the summer, and the Frenchman has confirmed he will be active in the transfer market this month.Reports in Spain on Tuesday night suggested the Londoners were prepared to pay the €20 million (£15.25m) release clause for Brazilian centre-back Gabriel, who would triple his salary at the Emirates Stadium.When the rumour was put to Marcelino on radio programme El Larguero, he admitted a deal may be possible: "I hadn't considered selling Gabriel, it's bad news from a sporting point of view."If both Gabriel and the club believe that his sale to Arsenal is the best for all parties, we will accept."Gabriel has not missed one of el Submarino Amarrillo's league matches this season, with the club sitting sixth in La Liga.The 24-year-old himself hinted at the weekend that a move to England could be on the cards: “Whether I go to Arsenal or stay at Villarreal, I won’t lose my head."I’m very calm. My head is at Villarreal and I’m very focused. My agent is working on making sure I continue being calm."In response, Marcelino says he is also cool about his defender's declarations: “I wasn’t upset by what Gabriel said. Every footballer has their own opinion."I’m not annoyed because it’s his way of thinking and acting. He’s tremendously noble and an exemplary professional. His head is here and he wants to keep demonstrating his worth here. On a sporting level, we’d like him to stay but we need to see his views and what the proposal is.”