Mikel Arteta_v4
Arsenal transfer news: Arsenal are looking to offload Gabriel Jesus this summer, with the Brazilian forward offered to Atlético Madrid in recent hours for a fee of around €18–20 million. That’s according to Matteo Moretto, reporting via DAZN Fútbol and Objetivo Atleti, who also confirmed that contacts have already been made directly with the player’s camp.
Critically, Moretto was clear that this move has absolutely nothing to do with any potential pursuit of Julián Álvarez. Jesus, 29, finds himself third in Arsenal’s centre-forward queue behind Kai Havertz and summer signing Viktor Gyökeres, and Mikel Arteta has already dropped him from first-team training sessions. That’s the clearest possible signal. His time at the Emirates is done.
Arsenal transfer news: The honest verdict from a Gunners standpoint
This is painful arithmetic, but it’s the only arithmetic that makes sense. Arsenal paid £45 million to sign Jesus from Manchester City back in 2022, so collecting €18–20 million in 2026 stings. Three league goals in 14 Premier League appearances across 2025/26, 430 minutes of football, tell you everything about where his output has gone. Two goals in six Champions League games don’t compensate for that kind of drought at this level.
The real prize here isn’t the fee. It’s wages. Jesus earns substantially, and that salary already killed off interest from Napoli earlier this window. Shifting his wages off the bill creates room under PSR, room Arsenal genuinely need to bring in a wide forward before the deadline.
Jesus brought real tactical flexibility when he arrived. He pressed intelligently, dropped into channels, gave Arteta options. None of that matters now. Persistent knee problems have sapped his availability, and his conversion rate has dropped sharply. Holding onto him for another six months while Havertz and Gyökeres operate ahead of him would simply destroy what little residual value remains.
The Álvarez angle is dead. He’s Barcelona-bound, and any suggestion of a swap deal was always fanciful. Arsenal’s hierarchy isn’t entertaining it. At €18–20 million, Berta books a clean exit, frees a registration slot, and gives Jesus a proper run under Diego Simeone. Arsenal transfer news rarely comes tidier than this.