Arsenal have initiated talks with Brazil in a bid to bring Gabriel Jesus back to the club after he was ruled out of the World Cup with a knee injury - but the Gunners striker is poised to remain in Qatar.
Reports in Brazil have suggested that Jesus could be out of action for up to three months and may require surgery after sustaining a knee injury in Brazil's shock 1-0 defeat against Cameroon on Friday night.
Arsenal are waiting to discover the extent of the issue, but the Brazilian FA confirmed on Saturday that the issue would curtail Jesus' tournament; and the forward's absence is a major blow for Brazil boss Tite, who is still sweating on the fitness of Neymar.
But Mikel Arteta will also rue Jesus' setback in the wake of the impact the 25-year-old has already made at Arsenal following his big-money move from Manchester City.
The Gunners are now braced for Jesus to miss some of their festive fixtures once the Premier League resumes later this month - but the forward's injury is not set to accelerate his return to the club.
According to ESPN, Arsenal sporting director Edu has already been in contact with Brazil to discuss bringing their star striker back to the club.
However, Jesus is expected to remain in Qatar with the national team rather than returning to London. The news will come as another blow to Arsenal, who had designs on bring Jesus back to the capital as soon as possible.
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The Gunners headed into the mid-season break with a five-point lead at the summit of the Premier League. They return to action with a meeting against West Ham on Boxing Day, but it now appears likely that Arteta will head into the London derby without his main forward.
Although Jesus has endured a goal drought recently, the scrutinised ace has been a hit in north London, notching five goals and six assists since arriving from the Etihad in a £45million deal in the summer.
And his absence could have major repercussions for an Arsenal side who are bidding to end their multi-year exile from the Champions League and mount a serious title challenge for the first time since Arsene Wenger's legendary tenure.
Prior to jetting off to Qatar, Jesus was backed by Arteta over his lean spell in front of goal. After making an electric start to his Gunners career, Jesus hasn't scored for the Londoners since October - but Arteta lauded the striker's overall contribution and insisted that he had the full support of everyone at the club.
"We are feeling for him because his contribution is valuable," Arteta told Sky Sports after Jesus blanked again in Arsenal's 2-0 win over Wolves before the break.
"With him, we know where we are. The love, respect and admiration for the players and the rest of the staff is huge, hopefully, he feels that."
