Jesus sets out Arsenal transfer exit stance as Arteta eyes new striker

Gabriel Jesus is determined to stay and fight for his place at Arsenal after the club decided to make themselves open to offers for the striker this summer.

Jesus was hailed a transformative signing when Arsenal shelled out £45million to land him from rivals Manchester City in July 2022. He immediately became Mikel Arteta ’s number one choice up front and looked a good fit for the Gunners.

But the Brazil international has struggled for form this season amid injuries and has been usurped in the No.9 role by summer signing Kai Havertz. Jesus has scored just four goals in 24 Premier League games this season and has started just four of the last 13 matches in the league.

Arsenal handed Jesus a five-year contract when he arrived and it still has three years left to run, but they have an open mind to letting him leave. Arteta and sporting director Edu are keen to sign a new striker in the summer transfer window, with Newcastle’s Alexander Isak and Sporting Lisbon’s Viktor Gyokeres among those being targeted.

That puts Jesus in an uncertain position but he has no intention of leaving this summer and will instead stay and fight for his place in the side. Arteta is understood to be a huge fan of Jesus as a player and a leader on the pitch, but will still push ahead to sign a new striker this summer.

Jesus has struggled with knee and hamstring injuries this season and believes he can return to top form in 2024/25. “This season has been tough – I missed pre-season, had surgery again and then had a couple more injuries,” he said. “I’m doing my best to help the team, and hoping to stay fit so I can do a full pre-season this summer. Then it’s a different story.”

He reportedly has admirers at Atletico Madrid, Juventus and Napoli and it remains to be seen whether any of those clubs will test the water when the summer window opens on June 14. Arteta has been very complimentary of Jesus, with his words after he scored in a 2-1 win over Sevilla in the Champions League in October summing up his thoughts on him.

“He came here for a reason. I think he changed our world. He brought so much belief and energy to that team, Arteta said. “He needs to step up in those moments. He’s done that. That’s when a player becomes accountable for the team. He’s paramount. He has changed our energy. These games are for big players. He has shown that tonight.”

Arsenal have three matches left in the Premier League this season for Jesus to make an impact before he will turn his attention towards international duty with Brazil. He is expected to make the squad for the Copa America, which will run from June 20 to July 14 in the United States.