Club president confirms audacious Arsenal transfer offer

Tom Weber

Updated: 27 Oct 2024 09:23 GMT
4 min read

Palmeiras president Leila Pereira has confirmed that she enquired about Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus.

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The Gunners forward has endured a difficult few months. In the summer, FootballTransfers exclusively revealed that Jesus returned to Arsenal training fitter than ever after an honest conversation with Mikel Arteta.

The manager himself has, on multiple occasions, confirmed our reporting, most recently stating: “He came on in a great shape, probably in the best condition he’s been with us. He was flying in pre-season and unfortunately, he got that injury straight away that affected him for a few weeks."

Despite the early signs of promise, Jesus' campaign has been disrupted by fitness issues and a resulting lack of form. Thankfully for Arsenal fans, Arteta's side has evolved to the point where the Brazilian can be a luxury substitute, though this is of course not his ambition and also not necessarily in the interest of the club as he's earning a pretty penny.

Therefore, there has been non-stop speculation about the 27-year-old's future in recent months and Arsenal are said to be open to selling him for the right price.

Palmeiras return unlikely - but not for a lack of trying

Perhaps the most bizarre yet strangely persistent rumour that has cropped up is one linking the striker with a return to Palmeiras, a move that always seemed unlikely given that he is still in the prime of his career age-wise.

However, it appears that the speculation isn't entirely baseless. Speaking to O Globo, Palmeiras president Leila Pereira has confirmed that she made contact with Arsenal to enquire about her club's academy graduate.

"Gabriel Jesus is not coming,” she insisted. "We got in touch with Arsenal and they said: 'Leila, there are no conditions whatsoever. We are not going to negotiate for the player.' Topic closed.

“Our foundation is the athletes who are already with us and are extremely successful. There are some positions that [manager] Abel [Ferreira] would like to reinforce, but I’ll tell you in advance: forget the big stars. The big star of Palmeiras is the squad. I don’t believe in idols.

“What wins the championship is the team. I know fans don’t like that, but it’s the truth. You may even really like an athlete because he stood out in a championship, but the team wins.”

Pereira's statement about not signing a star striker was also a response to links with former Inter man Gabriel Barbosa - and this could be bad news for Arsenal.

According to Spanish outlet Sport, Arsenal have been in unsuccessful talks with Palmeiras over 18-year-old forward Luighi 'for months,' with the player represented by ex-Gunners striker Gilberto Silva.

The Serie A side responded by fitting him with an €80 million release clause and he will be a key part of the side going forward, especially in lieu of big-name reinforcements.