Barcelona in talks with Arsenal over 10 million euro deal for Gabriel Jesus

A few weeks ago, the name on everyone's lips at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper was Julian Alvarez. Now, with the transfer window about to close, the forward who could land at Camp Nou (still under renovation) is someone else entirely: Gabriel Jesus. And everything points to the deal being all but done.

According to a source who spoke to ESPN, Barcelona is in "very advanced" negotiations with Arsenal over the Brazilian, with the fee in the region of just 10 million euros. That's a bargain compared to what strikers of this caliber used to cost a couple of summers ago. The 29 year old has a contract with the Gunners through June 2027, but he's no longer viewed as an important piece in London.

Why now, and why him? The story goes back a ways. Barca's big target this summer was Julian Alvarez, following the departures of Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres, which left the Blaugrana's attack short on options. The problem was that Atletico Madrid shut the door completely, not only refusing to negotiate but accusing the Catalan club of having approached the player without authorization. That's where Plan A fell apart, forcing Barcelona to look elsewhere.

That said, according to the same source, this move for Gabriel Jesus doesn't rule out a longer term pursuit of Alvarez. It's more of an emergency fix for the here and now, something that gives Hansi Flick a pure center forward without giving up on the dream of eventually landing the Argentine.

A replacement for a specific need

Because the need is real. Raphinha played as a "9" in the first two matches of the season and delivered three goals, but that's still just a patch job. Flick wants his squad to have the option of a dedicated center forward to share the load and offer different looks depending on the opponent.

Meanwhile in London, Gabriel Jesus has been slipping down the pecking order. With Kai Havertz and newly arrived Viktor Gyokeres ahead of him in the fight for a starting spot, the Brazilian was left out of the squad for Arsenal's Community Shield win over Manchester City, and he also missed the matchday list for the league opener against Coventry City. A player of his quality reduced to that role is exactly the kind of profile that tends to go cheap late in the transfer window.

According to the source consulted by ESPN, the deal could speed up within hours: the player might even travel to Spain to finalize the details before the window shuts. If things keep moving in this direction, Barcelona would soon have a proven box forward with Champions League and Premier League experience, at a price that in today's market sounds almost like an end of season clearance.