Press reports have revealed exciting details regarding FC Barcelona's deal for Gabriel Jesus, a move that strongly surprised the Catalan club's fans during that year's summer transfer window.
Barcelona completed seven summer signings in 2026, headlined by Rodri, Anthony Gordon, Karim Adeyemi, João Cancelo, Jesé Pisio, goalkeeper Dominik Livaković, and finally Gabriel Jesus.
Barcelona's signing of Jesus came as a surprise to the club's supporters, who had hoped to secure the complicated deal for Julián Álvarez.
The Spanish newspaper "Sport" reported that Jesus's transfer to Barcelona appeared to happen in the blink of an eye, yet it had been on the desk of the club's sporting director, Deco, for many months.
It clarified that Barcelona was well aware that last season would be Robert Lewandowski's final one wearing the Barça shirt. With a stated desire to sign Álvarez and overt stubbornness from Atlético Madrid, player agents began offering all types of strikers to the club to explore the possibility of a potential deal.
It indicated that the list of strikers presented to Barcelona was long and included Gabriel Jesus. Deco realized last December that he represented a genuine option to strengthen the Catalan squad, especially since the deal was financially suitable and could be completed in the winter market, despite carrying some risk due to the Brazilian's medical history and frequent injuries.
Read also... Rodri gives Barcelona a strong boost ahead of their La Liga match against Valencia
It reported that Deco studied the Jesus deal but ultimately ruled out pursuing it, as the timing was not right then to add more strikers, particularly a player lacking the necessary fitness to deliver immediate results. He and Hans Flick felt they had enough within the squad to complete the season.
It emphasized that the Jesus file was postponed but not definitively closed; his name remained on the table thanks to the agency representing him. Despite their persistence, Deco held his position throughout the first half of this year, acknowledging the player's quality but insisting that the club's priorities placed other names ahead of him, most certainly Álvarez.
It continued that with the arrival of the summer market and the complication of the Julián Álvarez deal, the Jesus file was presented again to Deco's office. The response was the same as before: he was not a viable option for the La Liga champions, and they did not contact Arsenal to explore negotiation possibilities or assess financial demands.
It noted that everything changed once signing Álvarez became impossible. It was then time for Barcelona to execute an alternative plan by resorting to the option that had been postponed over the previous months, time and again.
Deco decided to act, following Hans Flick's approval. The Gabriel Jesus deal took a sudden turn on Thursday, August 27, the day of Barcelona's match against Athletic Bilbao, when the sporting director realized the time had come to make decisive decisions.
Deco knew that Arsenal was ready to sell Jesus for an acceptable price of €10 million, while the remaining step involved adjusting the player's salary. The agreement was finalized in less than 24 hours; this step—salary adjustment—was completed, and the club agreed to include a clause extending his contract for a third year, leaving everyone satisfied.
It concluded that nine months of continuous communication ended with the deal officially completed, making Jesus a Barcelona player. However, the question now arising is: Will his physical fitness hold up? Will he succeed in regaining the level he has lacked for a long time? This is the point that has concerned Deco since late last year.