Barcelona complete signing of Arsenal striker Jesus

Barcelona have officially completed the signing of Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus on a permanent contract. The move, initially reported by BBC Sport, saw the Brazilian transfer fee settle at £8.6 million (10 million euros). Jesus' position at Arsenal had been undermined in recent years due to injuries, as well as competition from players such as Kai Havertz and Viktor Gyokeres.

Napoli had also expressed interest, but the deal ultimately fell through as Jesus joined Barcelona after successfully passing his medical on Monday. Jesus' time at Arsenal, where he joined from Manchester City in 2022, yielded impressive statistics with 32 goals and 22 assists in 123 appearances. During an interview with the media before Arsenal's match against Aston Villa, manager Mikel Arteta confirmed Jesus was no longer part of the squad, hinting that the forward was leaving the club.

This signing marks the third Premier League player Barcelona have brought in this summer, following Anthony Gordon from Newcastle and Rodri from Manchester City. Barcelona was also pursuing a deal for Atletico Madrid's Julian Alvarez, but the La Liga side refused to negotiate with their rivals. Arsenal, meanwhile, were also interested in Alvarez but the chances of a deal are slim at the moment.

Arsenal had also sold Fabio Vieira to Hamburger SV and Ethan Nwaneri is progressing towards a loan move to Borussia Dortmund.