Brazilian club Palmeiras are looking to strengthen its squad before the 2025 Club World Cup and targeted Arsenal forward Gabriel Jesus as a possible reinforcement.
Club President, Leia Pereira, revealed that Palmeiras made an effort to try and bring Jesus back to where he began his career but Arsenal didn't even entertain an offer.
"Gabriel Jesus is not coming. The subject is closed," Pereira said to O Globo. "We got in touch with Arsenal, and they said 'Leila, there are no conditions whatsoever. We are not going to negotiate the player.'"
It was an ambitious move by the three time Copa Libertadores champions to try and re-sign one of the club's biggest stars of the past decade. Arsenal paid $58.35 million to Manchester City for Jesus two seasons ago. After a promising start to his career in North London, he hasn't scored a goal for the club since January and has seen his role diminished off late.
Kai Havertz emerged as Mikel Arteta's preferred option at forward and that has left Jesus on the outs. There was a lot of speculation over the summer but a transfer never materialized and it would seem like the Gunners are not ready to part ways with the 27-year-old Brazilian.
Jesus made his professional debut with Palmeiras in 2015 and during his time at the Sao Paolo based team he scored 29 goals in 83 appearances before joining Manchester City in 2017.
Arsenal's elimination in the quarter-finals of the last UEFA Champions League against Bayern Munich put an end to its CWC aspirations. Palmeiras secured its spot in next summer's tournament by winning the Copa Libertadores in 2021.
Pereira also denied any interest in former Inter Milan and Benfica forward Gabriel Barbosa, seemingly discarding a move for any big name player before the CWC.
"There are some positions that Abel [Ferreira, Palmeiras manager] would like to reinforce, but I'll tell you in advance; forget the star. The big star of Palmeiras is the squad. I don't believe in idols," she said.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Arsenal Refused to Entertain Palmeiras Interest in Gabriel Jesus.
