Arsenal's quest to bolster their attacking options in the summer transfer window has been boosted with reports of an agreement with Manchester City to sign Gabriel Jesus.
As per The Athletic, the Gunners will pay £45m to land the Brazil international - who has been a priority signing for manager Mikel Arteta - meanwhile, the Daily Mail have claimed that the deal is set to be wrapped up within the next 7-10 days which means in time for the club's first pre-season fixture against FC Nurnberg on July 8.
Whether Gabriel Jesus will feature in that game remains to be seen as judging by his recent Instagram posts, he is still on holiday after international duty at the beginning of the month. He may not join up with his new teammates until early July if his transfer is completed.
READ MORE: Why Gabriel Jesus has chosen Arsenal over Tottenham and Chelsea as Edu closes in on £45m deal
With that said, assuming there are no complications with his deal, supporters will be looking forward to seeing the 25-year-old holding the Arsenal shirt at his unveiling at some point in the next week or so - but what squad number could the forward take at the Emirates Stadium?
Well, it would appear that Gabriel Jesus has one favoured option - and it's the ideal squad number for a central striker, which is the role he will be expected to take up under Arteta should he join the Gunners - as for the last three seasons he wore the no.9 shirt for Man City.
And thanks to a double announcement by the north London outfit this month, the Brazilian can get the perfect gift of the no.9 shirt if he completes his £45m transfer. Previously the incumbent no. 9 was Alexandre Lacazette, but it has already been confirmed that he is leaving the club when his contract expires next week.
"Alex Lacazette will be leaving us at the end of his current contract, which runs until June 30," a statement read. "Since joining us from Lyon in July 2017, Laca made 206 appearances in all competitions, scoring 71 goals. Thank you, Laca, we wish you all the best for the next chapter in your career."
Although even with the Frenchman heading back to Lyon after signing a three-year deal, thus vacating the number 9 shirt at Arsenal, there was perhaps a chance for Eddie Nketiah to take it on after revealing it was one of his two favoured options along with the number 14.
However, upon signing his new contract last weekend, it was also announced that he will wear the number 14 shirt from next season and this decision, coupled with Lacazette's exit, may point towards the no.9 shirt being saved for Gabriel Jesus once his move is made official.
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