Gabriel Jesus could be on his way out of Manchester City this summer with Arsenal stepping up their pursuit of the 25-year-old. Latest reports suggest the Gunners will more than double Jesus’ wages to bring him to the Emirates Stadium, so why didn’t City attempt the same when initial contract talks were held?
Jesus earns £90k-per-week/£4.7m-a-year at City – the same money as Benjamin Mendy but less money than Nathan Ake (£92k-per-week/£4.8m-a-year) despite being more of a first-team player than the pair. The Brazilian international made 41 appearances across the board this season, scoring 13 goals with 12 assists, so he featured in more games than Ruben Dias.
Kevin De Bruyne is City’s highest-earner on £400k-per-week while Jack Grealish is on £300k-per-week, but Jesus is taking home considerably less money despite being a regular. This might be why he’s not committing to City, especially if Arsenal will give him double his money.
Jesus has been a brilliant servant for City, scoring 95 goals with 46 assists from 236 games since joining from Palmeiras in 2017. But Guardiola often started without a recognised striker in games and used the Brazilian in a wider role.
City could have extended his contract and given him a payrise, but their inaction may have disgruntled Jesus.
In other news, Pep Guardiola making right decision keeping Julian Alvarez next season