Arsenal are set to complete the £50m signing of Gabriel Jesus in the next 10 days.
The Manchester City striker has been linked with the Etihad exit door for much of the summer transfer window and the Gunners have been amongst those keen. Mikel Arteta knows the Brazilian well and needs to add some firepower to his squad.
City and the north Londoners are close to agreeing on a deal that will see the Brazilian leave Manchester five years after he signed. Jesus has continued to come up with important goals, but nailing down a regular spot has been an issue under Pep Guardiola.
The arrival of Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund coupled with the capture of highly-rated Argentine Julian Alvarez means Jesus' minutes could be very much at a premium. The Daily Mail reports that the deal is set to be finalised at any point within the next week to 10 days.
Jesus was due to be available on a free next season with his contract winding down, but attention in him was growing and Arsenal have chosen to act. City are set to make a profit on a player they paid around £27m for in 2017, who has also scored 95 times during that period.
Guardiola's side look to have tied up a deal for Leeds United's Kalvin Phillips, worth around £45m, and the imminent departure of Jesus will help them balance the books as they continue to shake things up despite another Premier League title triumph.
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Arsenal saw Alexandre Lacazette leave for nothing recently once his contract expired whilst Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang also quit the club back in January. It leaves the north Londoners light in attack and, despite Eddie Nketiah penning a new deal, more experience and quality is needed.
The Gunners completed the signing of Portuguese star Fabio Vieira this week from Porto. The midfielder cost just over £30m as Arteta continues to bolster his options ahead of another push for the Champions League following their recent near miss.
Nketiah recently underlined the need for more quality and competition for places as the club look to push on. He told The Daily Telegraph, Nketiah said: “Every team needs a squad to compete. The club is always looking for ways to strengthen. They have extended my deal and they have done so for a reason. Whoever comes in, you relish the challenge. You make them feel welcome, and then you fight and compete."
