Arsenal are not interested in selling Gabriel Jesus next summer and have rejected an approach from Palmeiras for him.
That’s according to journalist Gabriela Santos, who has explained to UOL why it is unlikely the forward will end up back in his home country next summer.
Reports in Brazil had claimed that Palmeiras were planning a bold move to bring Jesus back to the club next summer ahead of the new, expanded Club World Cup.
They want a big signing to bolster their squad for that tournament and had their eye on Jesus as the man to do it, knowing that his return would be warmly supported by the club’s fanbase.
The initial report from Brazil on the matter stated that Arsenal would be open to the idea of selling the 27-year-old, but this was later dismissed, with subsequent reports stating that they had already turned down an approach by Palmeiras.
Indeed, it was claimed that Arsenal’s board had been ‘categorical’ in their response and Mikel Arteta was dead set against the idea.
Santos backs that up and insists Arsenal have no intention of letting Jesus go, despite Palmeiras’ efforts.
“It’s obvious that I would like to see Gabriel Jesus back. He’s a player that can still compete at a high level, he’s not at the end of his career,” she said.
“But about this supposed contact that Palmeiras had, some portals said that Palmeiras looked for Arsenal to be able to negotiate with Gabriel Jesus. It would be very nice to see Gabriel Jesus back at Palmeiras, but Arsenal said no.
“He has the support of Arteta, there have been some speculations that Gabriel Jesus could be negotiated with other clubs. But that never happened.
“Not everyone who follows European football, but he plays a lot for Arsenal. He’s not a player to warm up the bench or anything like that. No, he’s actually used by Arteta. Even last season he made good plays for Arsenal’s jersey, he scored goals, even.
“So, he’s not a player, when I saw his name, I even found it strange. I was at Arsenal’s stadium this year and the fans are crazy about him. So, he’s a guy who has the support of both the board, the coach and the fans. I think it’s very difficult for him to go back to Brazil now.”
