Arsenal put second-highest earner up for sale as ruthless Berta makes room for another blockbuster deal

Andrea Berta’s ruthless determination to turn Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal side from second best to champions will reportedly see Gabriel Jesus put up for sale – and the Gunners’ chances of selling him and where the Brazilian will likely end up has very quickly come to light.

Arteta’s side have finished Premier League runners-up for the last three consecutive seasons, last season finishing behind Liverpool and the previous two years narrowly failing to usurp Manchester City. And having also reached the Champions League semi-finals last season, Arsenal are very much a team on the cusp of winning major honours.

With the north London side turning to respected Italian sporting director Berta as Edu’s replacement to help them take that extra step, Arsenal have brought in five impressive signings already this summer, while a sixth – in Viktor Gyokeres – is expected to be announced in the coming days.

However, those incoming are not expected to go through without casualties and now a trusted Arsenal source has backed up reports from earlier this year in The Athletic that the Gunners are open to letting Gabriel Jesus depart Emirates Stadium.

Now, according to Hand of Arsenal, Jesus’ time at Emirates Stadium could be over after three seasons, with Berta looking to offload the 28-year-old Brazil striker.

They posted on X: ‘Andrea Berta is exploring the potential sale of Gabriel Jesus this summer. Clubs in his native country of Brazil have enquired, as have some European clubs.

‘Let’s see if this situation develops further.’

Jesus is currently Arsenal’s second-highest earner on £265,000 a week.

And with the Gunners seemingly letting it be known that the 64-times capped striker is available for transfer, Arsenal look set to go into the new season with Kai Havertz as chief back-up to Gyokeres, with the £63.8m (€73.5m, $85.7m) Swede expected to lead the line for Arteta going forward.

Whether they manage to sell him or not, remains to be seen, though Berta is understood to be clearing the decks for another major arrival at Emirates Stadium, with the club now expected to push forward in their quest to bring Eberechi Eze to the club from Crystal Palace.

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Eze ready to make Arsenal move as chances of Gabriel Jesus sale are assessed

Indeed, in a TEAMtalk report from transfer correspondent Fraser Fletcher on Thursday, we revealed that Crystal Palace midfielder Eze is ‘open’ to joining Arsenal as he’s ready to take the next step in his career.

In his report, Fletcher also revealed that negotiations, though, have hit something of a sticking block.

The Gunners are understood to have made it clear they are prepared to go as high as £55m (€63m, $74m) for Eze, while Palace are holding firm on his £68m (€78m, $92m) exit clause and are unwilling to budge on their stance as the transfer window nears it’s final weeks.

However, with both Arteta and Berta determined to bring the FA Cup winner to Emirates Stadium, seeing the England playmaker as the final piece in the jigsaw, the Gunners are ready to step up that hunt for Eze and continue talks with the Eagles in the hope of coming to some sort of agreement.

To that end, it’s been reported that Arsenal could offer Palace some players in part exchange to help sweeten the deal for Eze.

In the meantime, we understand Arsenal may struggle to sell Jesus this summer, owing, in the main, to the serious knee injury he is currently recovering from.

While clubs are not totally adverse to signing players recovering from minor injuries, it would take a brave side to fork out a hefty fee for a player currently still some months away from a full recovery to the ACL tear he suffered in January of this year.

We understand the striker remains on track to return to training from the injury in mid to late October and could push for a first-team return come November; that is, if he is still an Arsenal player.

We can also confirm that one of the clubs that have shown interest are the player’s first club, Palmeiras, though, understandably, they would also prefer to wait until the striker has made a full recovery before making any approach. As a result, a January transfer looks far more likely at this stage than a summer sale.

During his time at Emirates Stadium, Jesus has scored 26 goals in 97 games. And while Arteta is a big fan of his talents and the selfish running he does for the team, he has never been considered prolific and the capture of Gyokeres is seen as an immediate fix to that issue from the man chosen to lead the line.

Arsenal transfer latest: Xavi Simons decision made; three targets named

Meanwhile, two other big names are reported to have joined Eze on a three-man shortlist to improve the left-wing position, despite the signing of Noni Madueke – with the Palace man able to play multiple roles.

Elsewhere, Fabrizio Romano has revealed Berta and Arteta’s thoughts on a possible move for Xavi Simons, with the Netherlands star put up for sale by RB Leipzig.

And finally, while some have commended Gyokeres for his ruthless determination to force through a move to Emirates Stadium – and with the tabloid press loving the story about how the Swede has even ditched his Portuguese girlfriend to ensure he has no ties to Lisbon – another observer has slammed the player for his “lack of professionalism” with his actions not reflecting well on his “character”.

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