Arsenal inching closer to Gabriel Jesus’ signature

North London club Arsenal continues to move closer to securing the services of Manchester City’s Brazilian striker Gabriel Jesus with the developments reported from the Emirates Stadium on Monday.

According to transfer reports on Tuesday, the player’s agent flew into London in a bid to push through the deal. Similarly, the Gunners stepped down their pursuit of Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans to focus on Gabriel Jesus.

The 25-year-old Belgian midfielder is said to be worth £25 million ($30.5m), and the Gunners were ready to meet the valuation, especially as he has a year left on his Leicester contract and is open to a move away from the King Power Stadium. However, on Tuesday, Mikel Arteta’s side opted to focus on getting Gabriel Jesus alone, while there are indications that they will also rather move for Raphinha from Leeds United in addition to Gabriel Jesus.

Gabriel Jesus is one of the few players expected to exit Etihad Stadium after winning the Premier League title last season on the final day. Raheem Sterling is another player who is linked with an exit from Manchester City, with Chelsea leading the race for his signature.

Arsenal will have to meet City’s £ 50 million valuations for Jesus with talks now in a critical stage. The Gunners will have a medical for Fabio Vieira after they reached an understanding with Porto. The medical is scheduled for Friday.

The Gunners finished fifth on the Premier League table last season and didn’t even play on the European scene. However, with a return to the UEFA Europa League, the Gunners need to reinforce their frontline, especially with the departure of Gabonese striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to Barcelona and the summer exit of French forward Alexandre Lacazette to Olympique Lyon.

Arsenal has already signed Brazilian teenager Marquinhos, with Fabio Vieira also imminent and American goalkeeper Matt Turner also joining.

Written by: Daniel Ademiju Idowu