Arsenal have ruled out an upcoming transfer for fringe forward Gabriel Jesus, according to Palmeiras president Leila Pereira.
The Brazilian’s former club have approached the Gunners over a potential reunion in January after the striker’s fall down the pecking order in north London. Jesus has started only one Premier League game all season, coming on for a series of late cameos while Kai Havertz leads the line.
As winners of the 2021 Copa Libertadores, Palmeiras are gearing up for next summer’s newly expanded Club World Cup in the US. A host of European giants, including Chelsea, Real Madrid and Manchester City, will be at the tournament in the US but Jesus will not represent his past employers at the international jamboree.
“Gabriel Jesus is not coming,” Pereira told ESPN. “We got in touch with Arsenal, and they said, ‘Leila, there are no conditions whatsoever. We are not going to negotiate the player.’ The subject is closed.”
Jesus left perennial Premier League champions Manchester City to join the Gunners in the summer of 2022, arriving as the club’s first-choice striker. Various injuries have hampered his last two seasons and the ever-improving form of Havertz at the tip of Arsenal’s attack has relegated him to the bench.
Mikel Arteta revealed that a pre-season injury derailed Jesus’ preparations for the current campaign, but warned that the 27-year-old would have to fight for his spot in the starting XI.
“He put again a lot of work into it to come back and now he needs to get the rhythm,” the Arsenal boss said earlier this month. “Now he needs to earn the right to play more.”
The Champions League has afforded Jesus opportunities for minutes. Arteta named the Brazilian as captain for two of Arsenal’s first three European ties this season, skippering the team to a draw against Atalanta on matchday one before a nervy 1-0 victory over Shakhtar Donetsk this month.
Jesus failed to find the net in either fixture and is enduring a draining goal drought. Arsenal‘s number nine hasn’t scored in any competition since January, going 24 games and nine months without scoring. In that same time frame, Havertz has racked up 15 goals for the Gunners.
