Gabriel Jesus joins Barcelona after late agreement with Arsenal

Barcelona completed the signing of Gabriel Jesus after nine months of almost continuous contact, with the move finally agreed during the final stage of the transfer window, according to Catalan newspaper Sport.

The Brazilian forward has joined Hansi Flick’s side in a deal that was concluded remarkably quickly despite having been discussed by sporting director Deco for several months. Arsenal were willing to facilitate the transfer for a fee of €10m, while Jesus accepted a reduction in salary. Barcelona, in return, agreed to guarantee a third year of his contract.

The move came after Barcelona’s preferred target, Julian Alvarez, proved unattainable. Atletico Madrid had made it clear they did not want to sell one of their leading players, creating an opportunity for the agents of several high-profile forwards to approach Deco.

Jesus was one of the names put forward. By the end of November last year, he had recovered from injury and was training normally under Mikel Arteta at Arsenal. The London club were heavily involved in the Premier League title race and Arteta was reluctant to make significant changes to his squad. At the same time, Jesus needed regular playing time to rebuild his form.

A move during the January transfer window appeared to offer a solution.

Deco learned in December that Jesus could be a realistic option for Barcelona. The transfer would have been financially manageable and could have been completed when the window reopened. However, the deal carried a degree of risk because the striker had spent several months on the sidelines.

Deco considered the possibility before deciding that the timing was not right. He and Flick felt Barcelona could get through the rest of the season with Robert Lewandowski, even if the Poland international was operating below his best, alongside Ferran Torres. There was also concern that Jesus might not be physically ready to make an immediate contribution.

The proposal was postponed rather than completely abandoned. Veteran agent Giovanni Branchini, working with Roc Nation Sports, continued to keep Jesus’ name in front of Barcelona throughout the first half of 2026.

Deco’s response did not change. He recognised Jesus’ unquestionable quality but maintained that Barcelona’s priorities required the club to pursue other targets first. Julian Alvarez remained the preferred option and was consistently treated as being outside the scope of negotiations.

After the summer arrived and the World Cup had finished, Barcelona still had not resolved its uncertainty over the centre-forward position. Lewandowski’s official departure to the United States reopened discussions, but the early negotiations failed to progress. Deco continued to insist that Alvarez was the club’s main objective.

Jesus was again discussed internally, but the answer remained the same: he was not considered a Barcelona option. The club did not even contact Arsenal to establish the basic financial terms of a possible deal.

The transfer market eventually forced Barcelona to reconsider. Although the club had completed several deals of good quality, the sporting department’s principal target had slipped away. With Alvarez impossible to sign, Barcelona had to turn to a “frightening plan B” that had been repeatedly delayed in previous months.

With Flick’s approval, Deco revived the Jesus operation. Lautaro Martinez later confirmed that contact had taken place with Barcelona, while reports in Belgium also established the Catalan club’s interest in Nicolo Tresoldi. Neither player arrived at Spotify Camp Nou, with a long list of other forwards also considered at varying levels of seriousness.

The Jesus deal changed during Barcelona’s match against Athletic Bilbao. On 27 August, Deco concluded that decisive action was required. Arsenal were prepared to make the transfer possible for a reasonable €10m fee, leaving the player’s salary as the only major issue.

The agreement was completed within 24 hours. Jesus reduced his wages and Barcelona guaranteed him a third season, allowing all parties to emerge satisfied with the arrangement.

After nine months of persistent approaches and hesitation, Jesus is now a Barcelona player. The question is whether he can regain his fitness and rediscover the level he has been missing for some time the same concern that had made Deco reluctant to approve the move since late 2025.