Arsenal look to have taken a huge step to securing the signing of Chelsea target Gabriel Jesus after an ‘improved’ bid was reportedly submitted to Manchester City, albeit still short of the £50 million price tag that the Cityzens have placed on their Brazilian No. 9.
Jesus has become a huge discussion point of this summer’s transfer window so early on already due to Pep Guardiola’s actions in securing duo Erling Haaland and Julian Alvarez, two players who are expected to become the fabric of the Man City frontline for many years to come. Those two purchases though have left the likes of Jesus, Bernardo Silva, Raheem Sterling and Riyadh Mahrez all in limbo.
The 25-year-old wants to stay within the Premier League and similar can be said for Chelsea target Sterling. Both are expected to move on this summer, whilst Silva and Mahrez could depart sometime in the near future. Jesus, who has attracted the most interest from the London duo, would reportedly be happy to join either of Chelsea or Arsenal– both looking to replace strikers with Alexandre Lacazette already gone and Romelu Lukaku apparently on the way out also.
READ MORE:Gabriel Jesus to Arsenal transfer: Personal terms ‘agreed’, Chelsea and AC Milan interest
However, if the latest reports are to be believed, then new Chelsea owner Todd Boehly may have to look elsewhere to secure a Lukaku replacement. This is because The Times have reported that the Gunners have made an improved offer to Man City for Jesus and in spite of this new offer not meeting the £50m valuation, it is expected that the eight-time Premier League goalscorer for 2021/22 will move to the Emirates.
Brazilian compatriot Marquinhos has already been secured for Arsenal so a Jesus transfer – alongside various others amid intense Youri Tielemans and Aaron Hickey rumours – would certainly be somewhat of a response to Tottenham’s blistering start to the transfer window, with Yves Bissouma set to join Ivan Perisic and Fraser Forster in joining Antonio Conte’s side.
Meanwhile, for Chelsea, it’s been a relatively slow start to transfer proceedings in SW6 but this is expected to change in the forthcoming weeks as Boehly prepares to significantly back manager Thomas Tuchel. In response to this latest blow, it has been reported that Bayern Munich talisman Robert Lewandowski is someone of high interest to the west London outfit.
Nevertheless, before a ball has even been kicked, Arsenal are poised to lead Chelsea by 1-0 with their expected Jesus win.
Arsenal fans- How much of a big signing is Gabriel Jesus and will he complete Mikel Arteta’s project? Chelsea fans- Who should Todd Boehly target next as Romelu Lukaku’s replacement? Leave your thoughts down below in the comments section below!