Barcelona sign Arsenal forward Gabriel Jesus on deal until 2029

Barcelona have announced the signing of Brazil international Gabriel Jesus from Arsenal, with the 29-year-old agreeing a contract that will keep him at the club until the summer of 2029.

Jesus completed his medical on Monday before watching Barcelona’s match against Rayo Vallecano from the stands at Camp Nou later that evening. The club have not disclosed the transfer fee, although several reports say Barcelona will pay Arsenal 10m euros, with a further 5m euros available in performance-related add-ons.

The arrival of Jesus is intended to fill Barcelona’s long-standing need for a recognised number nine. The position has been vacant since the departures of Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres in the summer, although Barcelona’s recruitment of Jesus has been framed particularly around replacing Lewandowski.

Barcelona manager Hansi Flick used Hamza Abdelkarim during pre-season as he assessed his options in attack. Abdelkarim came on for the final five minutes of Monday’s 3-0 La Liga win over Rayo Vallecano, a game that marked the third round of the competition.

Jesus joined Arsenal from Manchester City in 2022 and made 14 appearances for the London club last season, scoring three goals. Across his Arsenal career, he played 123 matches, scored 32 goals and provided 22 assists.

Napoli had also held discussions with Arsenal about signing Jesus earlier this summer. That move failed to progress after Arsenal insisted on a 20m-euro fee.

Bojan Krkic, Barcelona’s head of scouting, believes the transfer offers Jesus an important opportunity to revive his career, and said the Brazilian is taking the greater risk by moving to the Catalan club.

“I had a very high opinion of him, and my reports on him were extremely positive. I went to watch him twice when he was at Manchester City, at a time when there was talk of him leaving, before he moved to Arsenal. I was not the only one who went to follow him,” Bojan told Spanish newspaper Sport.

“The one taking the risk here is Gabriel Jesus, not Barcelona to the same extent. He has an opportunity to revive himself and must make the most of it.”

“It is a golden opportunity for him. He has the right mentality, and he is a strong and aggressive player when he plays. He has a change of pace and quality in finishing attacks, so he could prove to be a very successful signing for the club.”

Barcelona view Jesus as the right candidate to lead the forward line in the coming period, with the club seeking a traditional centre-forward capable of occupying the number nine role. His experience in the Premier League, along with his previous work under demanding managers at Manchester City and Arsenal, was also considered as the club looked to strengthen its attack.

The transfer ends a period of uncertainty over Arsenal’s plans for Jesus, who had been the subject of interest from Napoli as well as Barcelona. While the Italian club were prepared to negotiate, Arsenal’s valuation prevented that deal from being completed, paving the way for the Brazilian’s move to Spain.