Arsenal find opening bid for Gabriel Jesus rejected as club accelerate transfer

Arsenal have had an opening bid rejected for Gabriel Jesus but are still confident of agreeing a deal with Manchester City.

According to GOAL, the Gunners' first offer, believed to be in the region of £30m, has been turned down by City. Mikel Arteta has identified Jesus as his number one transfer priority in the attacking department this summer, with Alvaro Morata and Lautaro Martinez also both linked.

It is understood Arsenal will accelerate attempts to sign the 25-year-old as they look to complete their third summer addition after Sao Paulo youngster Marquinhos arrived and Fabio Viera joined in a £35m move from Porto. A deal has not been reached for Jesus but there is a growing confidence that an agreement can be finalised between the two parties.

Jesus has been backed to join the Gunners as Arteta looks to bolster his attacking options following Alexandre Lacazette's departure. The Frenchman has agreed to re-join Lyon on a free transfer, while Eddie Nketiah has been offered a new contract after impressing at the end of the season.

Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang's departure saw Arsenal struggle for goals during the second-half of the season but Jesus could be the perfect player to revolutionise their front line. He has one year left on his deal at City and is valued by the club at around £50m. But the Gunners feel that is too high given his contractual situation.

Negotiations are continuing at pace, however, and Arsenal are keen to get the deal done as soon as possible, so they can focus on other transfer targets. Jesus has scored has scored 95 goals in 236 games since joining City in a £31m transfer from Palmeiras in 2017, winning four Premier League titles in the process.

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It is claimed Jesus is keen to reunite with Arteta, despite the fact the Gunners cannot offer him Champions League football. Arsenal dropped out of the top four with two matches to go and ended up finishing fifth, a point behind arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

The Brazilian has just finished from international duty and is currently on holiday ahead of returning for pre-season at the start of July. Arsenal already have five friendlies pencilled in and will face Nurnburg, Everton, Orlando City, Chelsea and Sevilla before facing Crystal Palace on the opening weekend of the Premier League season.

Arteta is desperate to sign a reliable goalscorer, with many feeling the lack of such a profile played a big part in Arsenal missing out on a top-four spot last season. Bukayo Saka was the only Arsenal player to reach double figures in terms of Premier League goals, while Lacazette, who was often leading the line up until the final few weeks, managed just one league goal following the turn of the year.