Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus has found himself at the centre of a peculiar rumour in Brazil. One that quickly falls apart once you look closer.
In the middle of Grêmio’s presidential election race, a story began circulating in the [**local press**](https://br.bolavip.com/gremio/gabriel-jesus-no-gremio-vira-possibilidade-em-caso-de-vitoria-da-chapa-de-odorico-roman). It suggested that an electoral slate, led by Odorico Roman, was plotting a major signing for 2026. The name at the top of that supposed wishlist? Gabriel Jesus.
According to posts shared by fan pages and local outlets, club figure Antônio Dutra Jr. had already made early contact with the player’s father and family to explore a deal.
That’s where things start to get bizarre. Gabriel Jesus’ father [**left the family**](https://www.uol.com.br/esporte/futebol/ultimas-noticias/2015/09/02/mae-de-gabriel-jesus-marca-firme-filho-meu-baixa-a-cabeca-quando-eu-falo.htm) when the striker was a child and passed away years later.
In other words, the “first contacts” claimed in these reports could not have taken place. The story, born in Grêmio’s political corridors, simply doesn’t hold up under the slightest scrutiny.
Still, there’s a reason Gabriel Jesus’ name keeps surfacing. His form at Arsenal has dipped, injuries have piled up, and with his contract running until 2027, there’s growing expectation he could be on the move sooner rather than later.
Any deal to bring him back to Brazil would be financially complex, but his future in London does appear uncertain.
So it’s safe to say the version involving his late father is false. But it’s not impossible that someone, somewhere, has indeed sounded out the player.
Whether through optimism or opportunism, it’s one of those stories that reveals as much about Grêmio’s election season as it does about Gabriel Jesus’ standing at Arsenal.