Arsenal star linked with transfer exit after club president’s comments | Football

Palmeiras club president Leila Pereira has announced their desire to bring Gabriel Jesus back to the Brazilian club in the future.

Jesus made his Palmeiras debut in March 2015, scoring 21 goals in 67 league games before completing a move to Manchester City for an initial fee of £27 million in August 2016.

After six seasons and four Premier League titles at City, Jesus moved to Arsenal for £45m but a combination of fitness problems and poor form has seen the forward drop his priority in north London.

A torn ACL has kept Jesus out of action since January, with the 28-year-old yet to feature this season and targeting a return to first-team action in the New Year.

However, recent reports suggest that Arsenal are open to accepting a bid for the Brazil international, whose current contract runs until June 2027.

The arrival of Viktor Gyokeres in the summer from Sporting – and Kai Havertz’s willingness and ability to play as a false nine – means Jesus is now deemed ineligible in Arteta’s squad.

And in a recent interview, Palmeiras president Pereira said he would be happy to bring Jesus back to the club where his career first began.

‘Gabriel Jesus, I will say more. Soon you will be back home, Gabriel! One day you will return,’ he told journalist Paloma Tocci.

Flamengo are also thought to be interested in Jesus, while Premier League side Everton have also been linked with a move for the striker.

While Jesus continues his rehabilitation behind the scenes, his Arsenal team-mates have made an impressive start to the season and top the table by one point over Liverpool.

And after a summer signing spree, Alan Shearer believes Mikel Arteta’s side are in prime position to finally end their trophy drought.

“This has to be Arsenal’s year to win the Premier League,” he told Betfair.

“They’ve spent a lot of money, finished second for the last three years, so we know, and Arteta knows that eyes will be on him and he has to win the Premier League this year. When you spend the amount of money they have, second is pointless.

“They were strong, had a really tough start and they got through it. That’s a big credit to Mikel Arteta.

“If you look at the bench last season against West Ham in February, compared to now, there were only two players on that bench compared to last weekend.

“The big difference is that when Martin Odegaard came out, he was replaced by Zubimendi. That’s the difference.’

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