Back in April claims from Brazil about Gabriel Jesus helped introduce the player to the European transfer market. It was stated by a Brazilian newspaper that Manchester United had made a bid for the player, although they didn’t reveal how much that bid was for.
The 19-year-old Palmeiras ace has a €30m (£23.5m) release clause, but five clubs could get a discount: Manchester United, Bayern Munich, PSG, Barcelona and Real Madrid could all take him for €24m (£18.8m) due to another clause in his contract.
Sport Witness spoke to the player’s agent at the time, and Cristiano Simões explained he wasn’t aware of any official offer just yet: “As for the fact that Manchester United’s name was mentioned by Estado, I don’t have much to say. It’s no more than speculation. That’s how I understand it, since I was not officially contacted by the club or its representative.
Understandably since the original claims, Gabriel Jesus has been repeatedly linked to Manchester United and other clubs, and it’s a destination the player would approve of, with Simões adding: “Well, United are a world football force. Everyone dreams of playing there, but the thing is not so simple. We need to analyse aspects regarding the adaptation to food, climate, language, social interaction, among other things.”
Sunday’s edition of Catalan newspaper Sport explains that Barcelona are very keen, but they believe the player needs two years in European football before he’ll be ready for them. The Spanish club have been looking at ways to facilitate that, and are aware of the growing interest from some of the world’s biggest clubs.
Gabriel Jesus is right now a consideration for several clubs, and if he impresses at the Olympics then a move could be just around the corner.
