Gabriel Jesus has refused to commit his future to Manchester City beyond this season, with the forward having a year on his terms from July.
The 25-year-old scored four goals in the 5-1 home defeat of Watford on Saturday but suggested he may depart, having joined in August 2016. Pep Guardiola wants to sign a centre-forward in the summer, with Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland his No 1 target.
Jesus was asked whether he would like to stay and fight for a place if a striker is signed. “It’s not time to think about this,” he said. “You expect me to say this, but it’s true.
“This is no time to think about this. Now is the best moment of the season. I want to enjoy, to keep focused on my team, with my teammates, to fight for the Premier League. I won it with my teammates three times. And I know how that feels and I want to have that feeling again. And then of course we also have the tough game on Tuesday against Real Madrid [in the Champions League] and that is my focus.”
Jesus, asked whether he would like to start more regularly, said: “It’s not just me, it’s [all] the players. If you ask, everyone’s going to say ‘I want to play’ and the season that I arrived here I played a lot, I think.
“I know what I expect of course but I know we have very good players who can play every game as well and sometimes it’s not just me, it’s Riyad [Mahrez], sometimes Raz [Sterling], and [Jack] Grealish arrives this season and sees how it is here. We have a lot of good strikers, wingers and forwards.”
Jesus arrived as a central striker but now operates mostly on the right wing. He was asked his best position. “A street player,” the Brazilian said. “Like you go there and play up front, run everywhere and then try to fight to regain the ball to attack, to do the actions quickly. I think this is my quality.”
