FC Barcelona announced on Tuesday the signing of Brazilian Gabriel Jesus from Arsenal.
Gabriel Jesus
Club: Barcelona
Jesus underwent his medical examination on Monday and attended the team's match against Rayo Vallecano from the stands at Camp Nou in the evening.
Barcelona did not announce the deal's value, but numerous reports indicated they will pay Arsenal 10 million euros, plus an additional 5 million euros in variables.
The 29-year-old player signed a contract binding him to Blaugrana until the summer of 2029.
It is worth noting that the true striker position has been vacant at Barcelona since the departures of Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres this summer.
Barcelona coach Hans Flick relied on Hamza Abdulkarim during the preparation period, and he participated in the final five minutes of Monday's La Liga round three match against Rayo Vallecano.
For his part, Bojan Krkić, head of scouting at Barcelona, believes the club's signing of Brazilian Gabriel Jesus, Arsenal's striker, could represent a golden opportunity for the forward, emphasizing that the player is the party taking the greater risk in the deal.
Bojan stated in remarks to the Spanish newspaper "Sport": "I bet heavily on him, and my reports on him were extremely positive. I went to watch him twice when he was at Manchester City; there was talk back then about his potential departure before his move to Arsenal, and I wasn't the only one who went to scout him."
He continued, "The one taking the risk here is Gabriel Jesus, not Barcelona to the same extent. He has a chance to revive his career anew and must seize it in the best possible way."
He added, "It is a golden opportunity for him. He possesses the required mentality; he is a strong and aggressive player when he participates, with changes of pace and quality in finishing attacks. Signing him could be a major success for the club."
Barcelona sees Jesus as the suitable candidate to fill the number 9 striker role, especially following Robert Lewandowski's departure, as the club aims to sign a true striker capable of leading the front line in the coming period.
Napoli had previously negotiated with Arsenal earlier this summer to sign the player, but the English team's insistence on receiving 20 million euros halted the deal.
Jesus played for Arsenal since 2022 after joining them from Manchester City.
Jesus participated in 14 matches wearing the Arsenal jersey last season, scoring 3 goals.
Overall, the Brazilian striker played 123 matches for Arsenal, scoring 32 goals and providing 22 assists.
