Barcelona have completed the signing of Gabriel Jesus from Arsenal on a three-year deal, the two clubs confirmed on Tuesday.
A source told ESPN the transfer is worth an initial €10 million (£8.5m / $11.5m), with another €4m ($4.6m) potentially due in performance related add-ons.
Jesus, 29, has agreed a three-year contract with Barça and becomes the Spanish champions’ sixth signing of the summer after Anthony Gordon, Karim Adeyemi, Rodri, João Cancelo and Dominik Livaković.
The arrival of Jesus ends Barça’s pursuit of a No. 9 for now, with the transfer window closing on Tuesday, although a source said they remain interested in signing Atlético Madrid’s Julián Álvarez in the future.
“I took a significant salary drop, but it’s a dream to be here,” Jesus confirmed at his presentation.
Read more:Arsenal’s Gabriel Jesus arrives in Barcelona to complete transfer
“But it wasn’t just me who had to make an effort to get the transfer over line, Barça also played their part.
“If you had asked me one month ago, I would have said it was unlikely this would happen. At 29, I didn’t think I would have the chance to come to Barça.”
After the departures of Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres left them without a recognised striker in the squad, Barça made Álvarez their top target this summer.
However, with Atlético refusing to negotiate with them, they were forced to explore other options, with Jesus emerging as an alternative.
Barça coach Hansi Flick said he was “surprised” Jesus was available, adding that the forward is a perfect fit for his team’s style of play.
Read more:Arsenal rout Girona as Max Dowman stars and Christos Tzolis scores
Jesus had fallen out of favour at Arsenal, where both Kai Havertz and Viktor Gyökeres have been preferred to him up front recently.
After breaking through at Brazilian side Palmeiras, he first moved to England with Manchester City in 2016, scoring 95 goals in 236 games for the Premier League side.
A move to Arsenal followed in 2022. He scored 11 goals in 33 appearances in his first year in London, but injuries have limited his appearances in recent seasons.
He leaves the Gunners after netting 32 goals in 123 appearances.
