Arsenal have reached an agreement with Manchester City over the signing of Gabriel Jesus, according to multiple sources. The fee the Gunners will be paying straight up for the services of the Brazil international is set at £45 million, and the fact that the reports are put that way indicates add-ons will be coming to increase the total amount, but they haven’t been revealed just yet.
Having risen through the youth ranks at Palmeiras, Jesus joined City in January 2017 for a reported fee of just under £30 million. Since then, he’s gone on to score 95 goals and produce 46 assists in 236 matches in all competitions, helping Pep Guardiola’s side win four Premier League titles, one FA Cup and four League Cups.
Despite his notable contribution, Jesus has never been able to reach that status where his place in the starting XI at the Etihad would be nailed on, with Guardiola obviously preferring to play without a designated striker than to put his trust in the 25-year-old. The approach of the manager appears set to change in that aspect, but the striker’s role will surely now belong to newly signed star Erling Haaland, which would surely diminish Jesus’s game-time further. With his contract entering its final year, it only made sense to part ways for both sides.
As for Arsenal, they lost Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in January as well as Alexandre Lacazette this summer, and apart from 20-year-old Folarin Balogun, the only senior striker they have left in the squad is Eddie Nketiah, who recently signed a new contract. Their need for a player like Jesus is clear.
There are a few minor details of the deal still to be ironed out, but all sides involved are confident it will prove the easier part of the process to complete. Tottenham Hotspur and AC Milan were also said to be interested in Jesus, but Arsenal have obviously won the race.
