AC Milan face a massive hurdle in their pursuit of Arsenal attacker Gabriel Jesus, who is surplus to requirements.
While Gabriel Jesus is back fit after being on the sidelines with a serious ligament injury, he doesn’t seem to have a prominent role at Arsenal, and could end up leaving the club in January in search of regular minutes.
According to a report from Calciomercato, AC Milan are very keen on signing the Brazilian forward. While they would love to have him on their squad, his massive wages could make things difficult for the Italian giants.
After making a name for himself in the Premier League with Manchester City, Gabriel Jesus joined Arsenal in the summer of 2022. Initially, he was an integral part of Mikel Arteta’s team. However, he has slowly gone out of favour.
While the 28-year-old is capable enough to feature anywhere in attack and his overall skillset has been quite useful, he is not an out-and-out goal scorer, which hasn’t helped Arteta’s cause.
He picked up a ligament injury mid-way through last season, and it kept him on the sidelines for almost a year. The Brazilian international returned to their squad towards the end of November and has had a few cameo appearances of late.
While he has regained full fitness, he is no longer an important part of Arteta’s plans. The Gunners signed Viktor Gyokeres in the last summer window to be the number nine going forward. While Gabriel Jesus still has over a year left on his deal, he is surplus to requirements, and Arsenal are ready to cash in on him, provided the right offer comes their way.
AC Milan face major financial hurdle
AC Milan have emerged as a potential destination for the 28-year-old. The Italian giants seek more firepower in the final third as Massimiliano Allegri wants to ensure they challenge on all fronts. With Santiago Gimenez the only out-and-out striker in their ranks, Milan are keen on bringing in another striker.
They are interested in having Gabriel Jesus on their bench as he can cover for Gimenez, and even chip in on the flanks when needed. Meanwhile, the Brazilian could be keen on joining Milan as he still hopes to make it to Carlo Ancelotti’s squad for the World Cup.
He needs regular minutes, something he could get at Milan. However, the finances involved could complicate matters. He currently earns over €7 million per season, which is way beyond the Serie A club’s budget. The 29-year-old will have to take a significant pay cut for the move to go through.