Arsenal star to reject £60m exit offers; agent determined to forge huge Edu signing

Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus is reportedly ready to snub any offers to leave the Emirates as he wants to fight for his place, while a former Premier League manager has made an intriguing claim about the Gunners landing a top new goalscorer.

Jesus’ future at Arsenal has been called into question in recent months. Mikel Arteta and Edu are known to be on the lookout for an elite centre-forward amid concerns over whether Jesus can score 20-25 goals or more per season.

Plus, Kai Havertz has leapfrogged Jesus in the pecking order and is now viewed as Arteta’s main No 9.

Earlier this year, Jesus was linked with a switch to Italy, as both AC Milan and Juventus have taken a look at him.

DON’T MISS: The spectacular XI Arsenal could line up with in 2024/25 as Arteta closes on sublime last signing to topple Man City

But those two European heavyweights have since cooled their interest in the Brazilian. Instead, Jesus is far more likely to receive advances from the Saudi Pro League.

It has been claimed that Saudi clubs are poised to launch £60million bids to convince Arsenal to sell Jesus. They have also drawn up massive contract proposals in the hope that Jesus will push to head to the Middle East.

But according to the latest reports in the English press, the 27-year-old has no intention of leaving Arsenal for Saudi Arabia as he wants to get back into Arteta’s starting eleven.

After Arsenal got their Premier League campaign off to a winning start by beating Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-0 on Saturday, Arteta was asked about his options up front.

Arsenal transfers: Updates on Jesus, Toney

“I have faith in [Havertz], we have faith in [Jesus] – Leandro [Trossard] has played in that position,” Arteta said.

Nevertheless, several outlets have reinforced the fact that Arsenal hope to land a top striker in the coming days, with Viktor Gyokeres, Ivan Toney and Evan Ferguson all potential options.

Arsenal had shortlisted Feyenoord hitman Santiago Gimenez as a possible target, but Nottingham Forest look set to win the race for him.

Rumours that Toney will leave Brentford for Saudi Arabia have begun to ramp up, but ex-Newcastle United and Crystal Palace boss Alan Pardew has claimed that the striker’s agent actually wants to secure him a move to Arsenal.

“Let me tell you, I know Toney’s agent personally, and I think he would like the boy to go to Arsenal. There you go, there’s a bit of insight,” Pardew said. “I know that he thought that might be a good fit for the boy when I had a discussion.”

On the latest The Rest is Football podcast, Micah Richards and Gary Lineker also discussed Toney potentially moving to North London.

“You know who I would go and buy? Ivan Toney,” Richards said. “He was left out [against Crystal Palace] obviously and there’s chatter about him heading to Saudi.

“He might not perfectly fit Arsenal’s style, how they want to press and play, but he’s a different option from off the bench.

“He would provide them with something unique, a different dimension. Particularly considering the figures, he’s got a year left on his contract and there was speculation about him going for only £15m.

“For a player who was valued at £70m a few seasons ago. In terms of what he can bring, I think he would be a good fit.”

Lineker added: “I like Ivan Toney a lot. I think he’s super talented and gives you a completely different from what else they’ve got.

“He’s a real threat and technically a really good footballer so I think he would fit in at Arsenal. Once you’re at the stage where a player is left out, the writing does appear to be on the wall.”

READ MORE: The 10 most expensive Arsenal sales of all time, featuring two Barcelona deals