Gabriel Jesus’s agent has said that Chelsea ‘tried very hard to hijack’ the player’s move to Arsenal before the Gunners managed to seal the deal.

It’s no secret that a number of clubs wanted to sign Gabriel Jesus from Manchester City.

Chelsea, Tottenham and Real Madrid all reportedly tried to lure him, showing just how strong Arsenal’s commitment was to signing the forward.

“Chelsea were one of the teams that tried to hijack the Arsenal move,” Jesus’s agent, Marcelo Pettinati, said.

“They tried very hard in the final days to get him. By that point, we’d already chosen our new project.”

Jesus himself has explained why he opted to sign for Arsenal, persuaded in no small part by the Mikel Arteta factor and their time together at City.

“I’ve just come to be part of this amazing club, amazing team, and then to win together,” Jesus said earlier this month.

“I believe a lot in the project at this club. I can’t wait to play at our amazing stadium.”

Jesus scored his third goal of pre-season when he got his first start for Arsenal against Everton on Saturday night in Baltimore as Arsenal ran out 2-0 winners.

Although it is still incredibly early in Jesus’s Arsenal career, I can’t help feeling that, by the end of the season, we will be talking about what an absolute steal it was to land him for £46.98m.