Barcelona Signs Gabriel Jesus From Arsenal for £8.6m on Deadline Day, Three Years After Paying £45m for Him

Barcelona Signs Gabriel Jesus From Arsenal for £8.6m on Deadline Day, Four Years After Paying £45m for Him

Arsenal has offloaded Gabriel Jesus. Barcelona confirmed the signing of the Brazilian striker on Tuesday, September 1, the same day England's transfer window closed, on a deal running through June 2029.

The fee, according to Sky Sports, was £8.6m. Spanish media cited by Al Jazeera, Yahoo Sports and Deccan Chronicle put the number at roughly €10 million, or about $11.6m. Both figures describe the same transaction in different currencies, not a discrepancy in reporting.

Arsenal paid Manchester City £45m for Jesus in 2022, according to Sky Sports. Four years and 123 appearances later, with 32 goals and 22 assists to his name, he left for less than a fifth of that price.

Barcelona had spent the summer chasing a different striker. Atletico Madrid forward Julian Alvarez was Barca's primary target, but Atletico flatly refused to negotiate, according to the New York Times and confirmed again by Al Jazeera and Sky Sports on Tuesday. Atletico filed a complaint with the Spanish football federation (RFEF) in July over what they characterized as an improper approach by Barcelona for Alvarez, an ethics allegation Barcelona has not resolved. The RFEF opened an internal investigation after Barcelona said it was notified of the complaint in late July. No findings or sanctions have been announced. Sky Sports reported that Barcelona's move for Jesus is "completely separate" from the Alvarez pursuit, meaning the club may still try to land the Argentine before other leagues' deadlines close, though Atletico's public position hasn't changed.

Jesus was open about being Barcelona's fallback option. "I'm not offended," he said, according to Al Jazeera and Deccan Chronicle. "I had a chance 10 years ago, and life took me in another direction, but now I can be here, and it's a dream for me." He added that he called former Manchester City teammates Rodri, João Cancelo and Éric García, plus current Barcelona winger Raphinha, before finalizing the move, and that "they only had good things to say," per Sky Sports.

Barcelona coach Hansi Flick said he was "a little surprised we had the opportunity to get him." After Barcelona beat Rayo Vallecano 5-2 on Monday, Flick told reporters that Jesus's style "fits with our style" and credited sporting director Deco for the deal, according to Al Jazeera and Yahoo Sports.

The move ends a stretch of visible tension in north London. Jesus had been training separately from the Arsenal squad and was left out of matchday squads for the Community Shield win over Manchester City and the season-opening victory over Coventry City, according to the New York Times and Sky Sports. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta declined to hide the situation when asked before Arsenal's win over Aston Villa, telling reporters: "Personal situations, whatever they are, I think it's clear," per BBC Sport.

A serious knee injury sustained in a January 2025 FA Cup tie against Manchester United derailed much of Jesus's second Arsenal season. He returned in December and contributed three goals in 14 appearances as Arsenal won the 2025/26 Premier League title, according to FC Barcelona's official statement, but he made only three Premier League starts all season, stuck behind Kai Havertz and Viktor Gyokeres in Arteta's pecking order, per the New York Times.

The Athletic had reported in May that Arsenal wanted as much as £20m for Jesus. The final £8.6m fee represents a considerable compromise Arsenal chose to accept rather than let his contract, which expires next summer, run down further, the Times noted.

Jesus is one of at least seven Barcelona signings this summer, joining Anthony Gordon, Rodri, João Cancelo, Karim Adeyemi and Dominik Livakovic among others, according to Deccan Chronicle. Napoli had also shown interest in Jesus before Barcelona moved, per BBC Sport.

The RFEF investigation into Barcelona's conduct has no announced timeline or outcome, and Atletico has given no indication it will reconsider selling to a domestic rival. Arsenal, for its part, has already sold winger Fábio Vieira to Hamburger SV and is working toward loaning Ethan Nwaneri to Borussia Dortmund, according to BBC Sport, leaving open whether the Gunners bring in a direct replacement for Jesus before the English window shuts.