Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus is closing in on a transfer to Barcelona after the Spanish club agreed a cut-price deal worth around £8.6million for the Brazilian forward.
The 29-year-old has agreed a two-year contract to play at Camp Nou ahead of Tuesday's transfer deadline, having been left out of Arsenal's squad for their opening fixtures of the new season.
Jesus was omitted from the Arsenal squad for both the Community Shield and the Premier League opener against Coventry. He has since been training away from Mikel Arteta's main first-team squad.
The Brazilian international joined the London club in 2022 following a five-year spell at Manchester City. However, he has largely played a bit-part role under Arteta at Emirates Stadium and missed most of 2025 after suffering a severe cruciate ligament tear.
Struggles at Arsenal
Jesus saw his opportunities at Arsenal further threatened after the Gunners signed Viktor Gyokeres last summer to serve as their primary striker. The club is now actively pushing ahead with a high-profile move for Atletico Madrid forward Julian Alvarez, which would further limit Jesus' playing time in North London.
Jesus had previously attracted interest from Italian club Napoli earlier this month, but the forward turned down the opportunity to move to Serie A.
Pursuit of Julian Alvarez
Arsenal remain hopeful of completing a deal for Alvarez, who has been informed by Atletico Madrid that he will not be permitted to join Barcelona. The Gunners are prepared to pay up to £128million for the Argentina international if he chooses to complete a move before the transfer window closes.
Atletico Madrid have given Alvarez until the weekend to decide his future, telling the former Manchester City striker that his only options are to join Arsenal or remain in Madrid. Alvarez missed training citing illness for three consecutive days through Friday, though he subsequently trained alone.
The stance comes after Atletico blocked any potential move to their La Liga rivals. Atletico chief executive Gil Marin told Spanish media: "I've been in the football world for more than 30 years. My word is one of the few things I have. As long as I am CEO, Julian Alvarez will NOT be transferred to FC Barcelona. That is absolutely certain."
Fabio Vieira transfer
Alongside the potential departure of Jesus and the pursuit of Alvarez, Arsenal are also streamlining their squad elsewhere. The Gunners have agreed a deal worth £7.8million to sell midfielder Fabio Vieira to German outfit Hamburg.
