Gennaro Gattuso has driven Napoli past Everton in the race to land Lille central defender Gabriel.
The Brazilian defender burst onto the scene in the latter half of last season and he continued to put in impressive performances for Lille throughout this season, establishing himself as a regular for Christophe Galtier's side.
Gabriel’s exploits with Lille have attracted the attention of some of Europe’s powerhouses with Real Madrid, Napoli and Everton all linked with the 22-year old defender.
Everton had looked set to win the race, but according to French magazine France Football, Napoli have now pushed into the lead.
It is claimed that Napoli coach Gattuso is driving his side's pursuit of Gabriel and wants the Brazilian in his ranks for next season.
The 22-year old made 24 appearances for Lille this season in Ligue 1, helping his side to keep 12 clean sheets.
And Lille could let him go for around €25m.
Lille finished fourth in the league this season after football authorities in France deemed the league to have concluded; both Everton and Napoli could still finish their respective campaigns.
