The agent of Manchester City star Gabriel Jesus claims that he and the player ‘like the project’ at Arsenal, amid rumours that the Gunners will launch a summer swoop for the Brazilian. With one year left on his contract at the Etihad, the Gunners could get their hands on the forward for a bargain price, and the player himself seems keen on the move.
Reports emerged last month that Mikel Arteta, who used to be Pep Guardiola’s assistant at Man City, was exploring the possibility of bringing Jesus to north London. With regular game time hard to come by for the Sky Blues, the 25-year-old forward was rumoured to be open to the idea, which has since been confirmed by his agent Marcelo Pettinati.
“We had talks with Arsenal about Gabriel Jesus, we like the project – it’s a possibility we’re discussing,” said Pettinati, according to Fabrizio Romano. “There are 6 more clubs interested in Gabriel – he’s focused on final games with Man City, we’ll see.”
It seems as though the Gunners will have to fend off a wave of rival interest in the player if Jesus decides to leave the Etihad this summer, with a seven-horse race developing for his signature. As such, securing Champions League qualification becomes increasingly important amid rumours that Juventus and Inter Milan may also try their luck.
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Jesus would likely be joined by another summer recruit as a result, and having scoured the market for several windows, Arsenal have built up an established list of targets. Among them is Everton frontman Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Lille’s Jonathan David and Real Sociedad marksman Alexander Isak.
City could be in the perfect position to cash in on Jesus, having just completed the blockbuster signing of Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund. The Sky Blues fended off competition from Real Madrid and Barcelona, winning the race to his £51million release clause and agreeing on a bumper five-year contract.
Competition for minutes in attack is only set to intensify under Guardiola, so Jesus may feel as though now is a good time to jump ship.
Jesus has been part of the City squad since 2016, arriving from Palmeiras as a fresh-faced teenager. Since then, he has bagged almost 100 goals for the club, won an FA Cup, four League Cups and is in with a shot of claiming his fourth Premier League title.
That would be a fitting way to end a fruitful stint at the Etihad, and it remains to be seen whether Arsenal’s interest prevails. Former Gunner Kevin Campbell urged his old side to pull the trigger, claiming that Jesus would be a ‘really good signing’ and ‘great value for money’, with reports pricing him at around £40m.
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