Arsenal may be forced into making a huge Gabriel Jesus transfer decision this summer. The Brazil striker endured a challenging second season at Emirates Stadium following a bright debut campaign after joining the club from Manchester City in 2022 for £45million.
Though the goals have come, injuries have been far more regular with Jesus plagued by three separate issues in the last 12 months. The 27-year-old still managed 16 goal contributions with excellent performances against Sevilla and Luton Town arriving in that time, however he still lost the starting striker spot to Kai Havertz.
Injuries and changes in tactics from Mikel Arteta sometimes saw him deployed in the false nine role with Havertz dropping into midfield, however he was not in Arteta’s preferred Arsenal starting XI towards the end of the campaign.
With that in mind, mild exit links have emerged as some are of the belief Arsenal have moved past he and Oleksandr Zinchenko in their project. With three years remaining on his contract, the Gunners would likely demand a considerable fee to let him depart and that could potentially be on the way.
According to X user @bt3, an account with over 750k followers, Saudi Pro League club Al-Ahli have Jesus on their list of potential striker targets alongside Tottenham’s Richarlison. There is no guarantee of course that Jesus will become their priority, however an offer could plausibly arrive in the next few weeks.
In the last 12 months, the likes of Ruben Neves, Aleksandar Mitrovic and Fabinho have all completed lucrative moves from the Premier League to the Middle East with Moussa Diaby looking set to join that list. As Aston Villa are still struggling to comply with financial rules, a marquee sale was needed alongside the exit of Douglas Luiz.
The imminent arrival of Amadou Onana from Everton in a £50million deal made it even more important to agree a significant exit with Diaby the player set to be sacrificed as he prepares to sign for Al Ittihad in a €60million (£50.5m) package deal.
Given what he has accomplished in the game, Arsenal could easily demand a similar fee for Jesus if Al-Ahli formalise their interest. However, following his impressive display in the pre-season friendly against Leyton Orient, Arteta may be keen to keep him at the club.
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Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice of Arsenal celebrate after the team’s victory during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal FC at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on April 28, 2024 in London, England.
