Gabriel Jesus is not looking to move to Napoli despite the Italian side's interest in bringing him to Serie A, according to Marca. The Brazilian is into the final year of his contract at the Emirates and the Premier League champions are open to his exit after four years at the club.
Jesus has been unable to score regularly and has slipped down the pecking order in the final third. He scored six goals in 27 appearances in all competitions last season, but was far from a regular after spending almost a year on the sidelines following a serious injury. The 29-year-old was also left out of the squad for Arsenal’s Community Shield victory over Manchester City on Sunday.
Jesus considering all options
As a result he's been tipped to seek an exit but Napoli, who had seemed like an obvious destination given their European pedigree and desire to land a new forward after Romelu Lukaku's exit, are not on Jesus' radar. Jesus is looking to consider all his options before deciding on a potential transfer away from Arsenal ahead of the summer window closing on September 1. He has previously spoken about a move back to his homeland before his career is up. The north Londoners have set a modest price tag of £20million for the forward, who is not yet in his 30s.
Arteta's comments on the squad
Mikel Arteta has claimed that Jesus, and compatriot Gabriel Martinelli, deserve to be in the Arsenal squad and wants them to remain at the Emirates, suggesting bigger matchday numbers would help him keep all his players happy. "It's really sad not to have their ability," he said. "I have been fighting with the Premier League to extend [the squad], to accommodate more players. It's always tough. They deserve to be in the squad, there is no question."
Jesus' career at Arsenal
Jesus was signed in the summer of 2022 from Manchester City and the Gunners went on to finish second in his first year at the club. He's since seen Kai Havertz arrive with the German proving a huge hit as a false 9 and last summer Viktor Gyokeres was added for more than £60m. Earlier in the summer Jesus suggested that he would be open to a move to Italy as he told Gazzetta dello Sport: "I grew up watching Serie A and dreamed of playing in Italy. Scoring two goals at San Siro against Inter was like making that dream come true. I don’t know my future, I’m working now and we’ll see what happens with Arsenal."
