Gabriel Jesus is set to undergo a medical with FC Barcelona this afternoon, and Arsenal will hold a decent sell-on clause in the player’s contract with his new club.
Spanish outlet SPORT report that Gabriel Jesus will hold a medical with FC Barcelona on Monday afternoon, after receiving permission from Arsenal to complete the formalities of the transfer.
Fabrizio Romano reported on Sunday that Barcelona had agreed an initial €10m (£8.6m) deal for Jesus, plus add-ons. According to Matteo Moretto, the add-on payments are worth up to €5m (£4.3m) more, for a total package of €15m (£12.9m).
In addition, Moretto reports that Barcelona will only hold 80% of Jesus’ financial rights, with Arsenal holding the other 20%. As a result, the Gunners would receive 20% of a future transfer fee.
Jesus is reportedly signing a two-year contract, with a one-year option to extend. So if he’s going to have a long stay in Barcelona, he’ll need to impress sooner rather than later.
This deal arrived somewhat out of the blue, as Jesus was linked with a move to Napoli throughout recent weeks. But reporting had always suggested some hesitance on the part of the Brazil striker, and perhaps now we know why.
As for why Barcelona have made a late move for Jesus, the club have been on the lookout for a striker all summer, but they’ve primarily been interested in Julian Alvarez.
Given Atletico Madrid’s total refusal to sell to their domestic rivals, Jesus was a comparatively easy deal for Barcelona to pivot to late in the window.
Jesus spent four years with Arsenal, playing 123 times and scoring 32 goals for the Gunners. The former Manchester City man had a year left on his contract, so he was set to leave for free next summer.
Given Arsenal had no plans to use Jesus this season, with the 29-year-old sitting out of the matchday squads against Manchester City and Coventry City, bringing in a fee and getting his wages off the books would be a big win.
Of course, Jesus still has to pass his medical before anything can be made official.
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