Brazilian journalist Jorge Nicola has delivered yet another chapter in the long-running Gabriel Jesus transfer saga – and, once again, it’s more smoke than fire.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Nicola reaffirmed that despite the noise generated by fans and speculation from all sides, there is no real movement towards a return to Palmeiras or a move to Flamengo at this stage.
According to him, Palmeiras have absolutely no plans to bring the Arsenal striker back this summer, despite his strong ties to the club and a recent fan-led campaign pushing for it.
As Nicola puts it, Palmeiras have already spent €25m on former Barcelona and Real Betis striker Vitor Roque, who plays in the same position and offers a similar profile to Gabriel Jesus. The club believes it would make little sense to invest again in that area, especially when Roque is expected to justify the hefty fee paid.
Flamengo, on the other hand, appear to have pulled out of the race for a far more practical reason: Gabriel Jesus hasn’t played since January due to a knee injury and is only expected to return in October. As Nicola puts it bluntly, “Flamengo are looking for a striker for now, not for a few months down the line.”
And if that wasn’t enough to cool things down, there’s the salary: Gabriel Jesus currently earns around €1.1m per month at Arsenal, a figure well beyond the reach of even Brazil’s biggest spenders.
According to Nicola, Arsenal are indeed open to negotiating a transfer for the 27-year-old, but his injury has delayed any concrete steps. Perhaps something could happen in the January window, but for now, this remains a saga without a plot twist.
