Tottenham rub salt into Arsenal wounds after gaining Jesus transfer advantage

Tottenham are set to rival Arsenal in the race to snap up Gabriel Jesus after pipping their neighbours to a Champions League spot.

Spurs sealed a top-four finish with an emphatic 5-0 win at Norwich on the final day of the season to condemn the Gunners to the Europa League. Antonio Conte's side left it late to overhaul their bitter rivals in the table - and the Italian is now plotting to land another blow on Arsenal in the transfer market.

Arsenal had emerged as the frontrunners to sign Jesus, who is expected to leave Manchester City this summer for regular first-team football. But a new report from The Telegraph has revealed that Tottenham could also attempt to strike a deal for the 25-year-old in the coming months.

Tottenham's interest will come as a bitter blow to Mikel Arteta, who is desperate to bolster his squad with quality attacking reinforcements this summer. And while the Gunners move for Jesus did not completely hinge on Champions League football, the Spaniard may struggle to entice the Brazilian striker to the Emirates if Spurs do firm up their interest.

As well as a potential move for Jesus, Conte is keen to bolster his squad with a new centre-back and a midfielder. And after securing a return to Europe's premier competition, the Tottenham hierarchy are expected to back Conte in the transfer market this summer.

Conte himself once again stressed the importance of new recruits immediately after Sunday's result. He said: "It is very important to not forget the path that we had to try to improve the situation because we need to improve the situation, next season for sure, there are five substitutions, another competition and Tottenham must understand this, that it will be very difficult, maybe much more than this season.

Join the debate! Who do you think will win the race for Gabriel Jesus this summer - Spurs or Arsenal? Let us know here.

"Today is not the right time to speak about this topic. Today is really important to celebrate this big achievement but for sure to become competitive and be ready to fight for something important you need to improve, improve a lot in many aspects and I know only one word, that is work, work, work.

"Everybody has to do the right path in this process. We need to improve a lot. Next season the league will be very difficult for all the teams.

"With five subs you can change a game. If the bench is strong like a top team, like City, Chelsea, United and Liverpool, you need to improve a lot your squad in quality aspect and numerical aspect. You have to face in England three national competitions and one in the Champions League."