Arsenal would be prepared to sell Gabriel Jesus during the January transfer window, according to UOL Esporte.
The Brazilian sports news outlet claim that the Gunners will leave the “door open” for the striker to leave in the New Year.
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Jesus has struggled for goals, having scored just once this season, and he is no longer deemed a key player by manager Mikel Arteta.
UOL report that the forward’s sale would also enable Arsenal to invest in one of their “priority targets” – Sporting Lisbon’s Viktor Gyokeres.
Jesus’s performances over the last 18 months
It is fair to say that the Arsenal striker has found things tough – both fitness and confidence wise – since the beginning of last season.
During that period, Jesus has scored just 9 goals and contributed 9 assists in 53 appearances. Around half of those have been starts (27), which demonstrates how poor he has been in front of goal.
In his first season at the Emirates, he did perform to a higher level, scoring 11 times, having also spent two and a half months on a treatment table with a knee injury.
Comparing the Arsenal star with Gyokeres
Jesus’s woes since the beginning of the 2023/24 campaign are in stark contrast to Arsenal’s reported transfer target. Following his move to Sporting from Coventry City last year, Gyokeres’s form has been remarkable.
After hitting the back of the net 43 times in all competitions in his first season, the Swedish international has now scored 24 goals in his first 21 games this campaign.
Considering that Sporting are demanding that clubs pay Gyokeres’s €100m (£83m) release clause in January, it remains to be seen whether the Gunners can raise enough funds (from Jesus’s sale and other means) to secure the striker’s signature ahead of their rivals.
Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City have also been credited with an interest in the 26-year-old recently.
Find out who is in Arsenal’s first-team squad for the 2024/2025 season here