The Brazilian forward appears to be edging ever closer to an Etihad exit and an Emirates arrival as Arsenal are on the cusp of lodging their first bid for the Man City star
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Gabriel Jesus is reportedly ‘on board’ with what Mikel Arteta is building at Arsenal and ‘likes the project’ the Spaniard is overseeing at the Emirates.
The news comes alongside speculation that the Gunners are putting the finishing touches to their first official bid for the Manchester City forward. Jesus has been in fine form in recent weeks and notched a number of crucial goals for Pep Guardiola’s side as they search for a fourth Premier League title in five seasons.
The former Palmeiras talent even bagged four in one game during the recent home demolition of relegated outfit Watford. However, his City contract expires in the summer of 2023 – meaning this coming transfer window is the last real chance the Etihad hierarchy will get to cash in on the player.
Arsenal are thought to be the frontrunners for his signature, with Jesus’ agent Marcelo Pettinati admitting: “We had talks with Arsenal about Gabriel Jesus, we like the project – it’s a possibility we’re discussing. There are six more clubs interested in Gabriel – he’s focused on final games with Man City, we’ll see.”
Arsenal’s desperation to bolster their front-line is well-documented, given both Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah are out of contract this summer – though the Gunners are rumoured to be working hard to try and tie the latter down to a new deal.
Arteta already has previous with Jesus from their shared time at City together while the Spaniard was an assistant coach to Guardiola. The idea of Jesus extending his stay at the Etihad appears completely out of the question, especially given the recent attacking update at City.
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Guardiola had already brought in one forward that Jesus would in theory have to compete with in the form of Julian Alvarez, but the recent confirmation of Erling Haaland’s imminent switch from Borussia Dortmund has killed any chance of Jesus sticking around.
City are holding out for a figure around the £45m-£55m mark, but as things stand Arsenal seem willing to meet their valuation. At just 25 years of age, should the move go ahead as expected Jesus could be leading the line for the Gunners for the next half a decade.
Arteta has already revealed what he is looking for in terms of his ideal summer transfer in the coming months, telling Sky Sports: “He puts the ball in the net – that’s priority number one. Goal threat. Any successful team needs enough goal threat in the squad. Without it, you have nothing.”
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