Soccer

Gabriel Jesus to move from City to Arsenal

West Ham target Villarreal’s Arnaut Danjuma as Moyes seeks to bolster his attack

Manchester City's Gabriel Jesus is expected to join Arsenal. Photograph: Stu Forster/Getty Images
Jacob Steinberg
Fabrizio Romano
Sun Jun 26 2022 - 19:00

Gabriel Jesus is poised to join Arsenal from Manchester City after agreeing personal terms on a five-year deal. The striker will move for a fee of £45 million following an agreement between the two clubs.

His compatriot Edu, Arsenal’s technical director, and head coach Mikel Arteta were a key factor in Jesus accepting the offer to move to the Emirates Stadium. Arteta knows Jesus well having previously worked with the striker when he was on the coaching staff at City under Pep Guardiola.

The arrival of Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund at City would limit Jesus’s chances of playing as a central striker next season, the final of his contract, and he has seen fit to look elsewhere after five-and-a-half seasons in Manchester, having joined the club from Palmeiras in 2017.

Under Guardiola, Jesus played across the front three but struggled to be selected as a No 9. Last season he scored eight times in 28 Premier League appearances.

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The 25-year-old, who has 56 caps for Brazil, will Arsenal’s fourth signing of the summer following the arrivals of Marquinhos, Matt Turner and Fábio Vieira.

Elsewhere, West Ham have approached Villarreal about signing Arnaut Danjuma, but they could face stiff competition for the Netherlands forward’s signature.

David Moyes wants to improve his attack this summer and is interested in Danjuma after the 25-year-old’s impressive performances over the last 12 months. The Netherlands international, who can play on the wing or through the middle, helped Villarreal reach the last four of the Champions League and scored 17 goals for club and country last season.

Danjuma, who has been targeted by West Ham before, has made outstanding progress since joining Villarreal from Bournemouth last summer. He is expected to be part of Louis van Gaal’s squad for the World Cup later this year and is not short of interest. Some of the biggest clubs in Europe are monitoring Danjuma’s situation.

It could be difficult for West Ham, who remain interested in signing Jesse Lingard on a free transfer, to attract Danjuma to the London Stadium. The Dutchman has proven himself in the Champions League, but West Ham will be playing in the Europa Conference League next term.

Moyes is determined to show ambition. West Ham are plotting a £30 million (€34.8 million) move for Chelsea’s Armando Broja, though Thomas Tuchel is keen to assess the striker in pre-season before deciding on his future, and they are in talks with Lingard following the attacking midfielder’s departure from Manchester United. Lingard sparkled on loan at West Ham two seasons ago, though they are not the only club interested in him.

West Ham’s first piece of business this summer was to sign the Morocco centre-back Nayef Aguerd from Rennes for £29.8 million (€34.6 million). They are also close to announcing the signing of the Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Alphonse Areola for about £10 million (€11.6 million).

– Guardian