Arsenal ‘are closing in on a move for £50m Gabriel Jesus’ with the Gunners ‘confident they can seal a deal’ for the forward.
For much of the summer, the Gunners have been connected with the out-of-favor Brazilian, with Erling Haaland’s arrival at the Etihad casting considerable doubt on his future after six years on the blue side of Manchester.
Jesus’ availability has sparked a flurry of interest, with teams like Chelsea and Tottenham — as well as Real Madrid — reportedly showing an interest.
However, it appears like Arsenal is ahead of the competition, as club officials are now optimistic that a deal can be reached to sign the players.
According to the report, City is holding out for roughly £50 million, and while Arsenal has only offered around £30 million so far, they are likely to up their offer to meet City’s valuation.
Jesus is ready to return to the Emirates and work with manager Mikel Arteta.
Arteta and Pep Guardiola worked together at the Etihad when Arteta was Pep Guardiola’s assistant manager, and the two have a strong working relationship.
As a result, Arteta has designated Jesus as one of his “priority” transfer targets, and he is no longer afraid that the player would reject them due to their lack of Champions League experience.
After losing Alexandre Lacazette to Lyon on a free transfer and selling Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to Barcelona in January, Arsenal is in serious need of bringing in some reinforcements up front.
Eddie Nketiah’s name is on a list of players who may be released this summer, thus there have been concerns that he would leave his childhood club.
There is still hope for a new contract, as Nketiah has signed a long-term agreement to stay in north London, where he will compete with Jesus for a starting berth.
It comes after it was claimed that Arteta was irritated by Arsenal’s market indecision.
The north London club, who have pipped to a top-four spot by bitter rivals Tottenham, are demanding that all significant transfers be authorized by the American ownership, which Arteta worries would prevent them from signing top transfer target Jesus.