Gabriel Jesus says he decided to accept a pay cut in order to realise a childhood ‘dream’ of playing for Barcelona – an opportunity that he assumed had passed him by.
The 29-year-old forward made it clear he was keen to explore possible opportunities elsewhere at the start of the summer having fallen down the pecking order under Mikel Arteta at Arsenal.
Napoli had been credited with a strong interest in Jesus but Barca muscled themselves into the driving seat once it emerged that Atletico Madrid were not prepared to do business for their top target Julian Alvarez.
It’s understood the La Liga champions shook hands on a deal with Arsenal worth in the region of £8.6million and the Brazil international has put pen to paper on a three-year contract at the Camp Nou.
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Jesus was officially unveiled by Barca at a press conference this afternoon, with the attacker pictured holding aloft the club’s famous blue and garnet strip emblazoned with his name and the year ‘2029’.
‘Good afternoon everyone. I’ve played with many Spaniards and I’m going to try to do this presentation in Spanish,’ a beaming Jesus told reporters.
‘Everything has happened very quickly. I’ve had two difficult years but you all know my qualities and how I can help. That’s made things easier.
‘I’m really looking forward to being here at a club as big as Barca.
‘I want to thank sporting director Deco and the president Joan Laporta.’
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Jesus has not played a competitive match of club or international football since starting and scoring in Arsenal’s 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park at the end of last season.
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During his five-year spell with the Gunners, Jesus sustained two serious knee injuries, with the latter keeping him sidelined for 11 months.
His last contract with the north Londoners had been due to expire at the end of the 2026/27 campaign.
Source: Read the original article on metro.co.uk
Written by https://futureknowledge.in/
