Gabriel Jesus 'makes decision on Arsenal future amid exit reports'

Following the declines of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette, Jesus's arrival from Manchester City in the summer of 2022 was regarded as a major coup.

The Brazil international hit the ground running in North London, but consistency has been hard to come by, and he has also struggled with three separate knee injuries.

Jesus has been forced to go under the knife to treat two of those problems, one of which saw him miss three months of action following the 2022 World Cup, and he has recently found himself on the periphery of the Arsenal team.

The 27-year-old did not start either leg of Arsenal's Champions League quarter-final clash with Bayern Munich, while he was only a late substitute against Chelsea and did not make it off the bench in last weekend's North London derby win over Tottenham Hotspur.

Jesus 'wants to fight for Arsenal place'

The form of Kai Havertz in the number nine position has restricted Jesus's minutes, and Arsenal are supposedly open to bids for the South American as they pursue a new striker in the summer window.

However, The Sun claims that Jesus has no intention of heading for the Emirates exit door and instead wants to stay and fight for his place in Mikel Arteta's starting lineup.

Despite being bumped down the attacking pecking order by Havertz, the former Man City striker is still believed to be happy in North London, although he has accepted that his form this season has not been good enough.

Jesus has posted a respectable 15 goal contributions in 33 games - eight of his own and seven assists - but he only has four Premier League strikes next to his name and has not scored in the top flight since the end of January.

Nevertheless, Arteta apparently still values the Brazil international as a key figure in the dressing room due to his leadership and title-winning experience, and Jesus is confident that he will be back to his best if he can enjoy a strong pre-season.

Jesus decision 'will not impact Arsenal striker decision'

While an exit for Jesus is considered unlikely unless an astronomical offer comes in, the report adds that Arsenal will still pursue a new number nine regardless of the Brazilian's decision.

The Gunners are believed to have earmarked four strikers as their top targets for the summer window, including Premier League duo Ivan Toney (Brentford) and Alexander Isak (Newcastle United).

Arsenal could also cast their eye across Europe with either RB Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko or Sporting Lisbon's Viktor Gyokeres, and the former's agent recently dropped a hint over his client's future.

For the time being, Havertz is doing just fine at the tip of the Arsenal attack and excelled in the North London derby, setting up Bukayo Saka before heading in the Gunners' third from a corner.

The former Chelsea man boasts a personal-high 12 Premier League goals for the campaign, eight of which have been scored in his last 11 matches, in addition to five assists.