Manchester City have slammed a £50 million price tag on Gabriel Jesus ahead of the summer transfer window, according to reports.
The Brazil international is expected to part ways with the Premier League champions after winning his fourth league title at the Etihad Stadium in search of a new challenge and regular game time.
Since his arrival from Palmeiras in January 2017, the 25-year-old has proved to be a key attacking outlet for Pep Guardiola but with City signing Erling Haaland and Julian Alvarez to bolster their frontline, Jesus is believed to be wanting an exit ahead of the new campaign.
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Arsenal have been heavily linked with a swoop for the Manchester City attacker and are understood to have held positive talks with Jesus' representatives over a switch to north London in recent months.
Despite Arsenal's failure in securing Champions League football next term, Jesus is believed to be open to swapping the Etihad Stadium for the Emirates and joining forces with Mikel Arteta, who worked with the Brazilian during his time as Pep Guardiola's assistant for three seasons.
With Jesus entering the final 12 months on his current deal at City, Arsenal will hope to secure his arrival for a cut-price fee after he amassed 25 direct goal contributions in 41 appearances across all competitions for the Premier League champions last term.
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However, as reported by Simon Mullock of The Mirror, the Blues have set a £50 million price on Gabriel Jesus ahead of the upcoming transfer window and are open to sanctioning a sale for the Brazilian for the right price.
Arsenal are believed to consider Manchester City's valuation of their wantaway star as excessive despite being huge admirers of Gabriel Jesus, who has become frustrated with the lack of regular minutes at the Etihad Stadium and being operated as a make-shift man across the front three.
After seeing Sergio Aguero and Ferran Torres leave for Barcelona, Manchester City have closed deals for Erling Haaland and Julian Alvarez following their long-drawn pursuit of Tottenham talisman Harry Kane last summer.
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Arsenal are also keeping tabs on Oleksandr Zinchenko but owing to the Ukrainian's versatility and how key he remains to City, it would take a big offer to persuade the English giants to let go of the left-sided midfielder and full-back.
It was reported recently that Real Madrid could look to hijack Arsenal's approach for Jesus, who has also attracted interest from Atletico Madrid, Juventus and Tottenham.
After Kylian Mbappe sent shock waves across the world of football by signing a three-year deal with Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid are on the lookout for alternative options to bring in to strengthen their bid to retain their La Liga and Champions League crown next season.
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The prospect of playing alongside the likes of Karim Benzema and Vinicius Jr. in the Champions League for the European giants could tempt Jesus to pick a switch to the Spanish capital over Arsenal, who remain in a transition period under Mikel Arteta.
Topics: Manchester City Transfer News & Rumours, Gabriel Jesus, Manchester City, Arsenal, Real Madrid
Vayam Lahoti