Arguably the most promising Brazilian striker since Alexandre Pato broke into the scene, Gabriel Jesus is already making waves in Europe, as giants like Barcelona and Manchester City are already reportedly battling for the signature of this 19-year-old wunderkind.
Barcelona reportedly made the first move by sending Palmeiras a €19 million offer for the young striker. The Catalan club’s offer, however, was quickly turned down by the Brazilian side.
Jesus has a minimum release fee clause of £16.7 million (Roughly €24 million) for the likes of Barcelona, Manchester City, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Manchester United, and Paris Saint-Germain to chase, according to The Sun.
O golaço que fechou a goleada. Gabriel Jesus, o 11 gol do jovem atacante em 2016 pic.twitter.com/QUau9eHCWI
— This is Palestra (@ThisisPalestra) May 15, 2016
The same article from the Sun claims that City’s new boss, Pep Guardiola, has already tabled a £16.7 million offer to Palmeiras, matching Jesus’s minimum release fee clause, which means other interested parties will have to also match the release clause and try to appeal most to the striker.
Unfortunately, for Guardiola, Barcelona seems to be ahead in that department, as Jesus recently told Sport that "to go to Barça would be a dream."
Palmeiras’s president, Alexandre Mattos, also spoke on the matter after his club’s 3-1 victory over Santa Cruz during the weekend.
Mattos claimed that Jesus has made it clear to the staff that his desire, for now, is to remain with Palmeiras. The president also assured that the front office’s plan is to keep the player at least until December.
@Inter e @juventusfc su #GabrielJesus ...ecco il suo ultimo gol dopo soli 3min e40! Alle 21.00 su @tvdellosport pic.twitter.com/gONECYBGzC
— Jolanda De Rienzo (@jolandafiore) June 6, 2016
Jesus broke into the national scene last year as a young prospect in his late teens. This season, however, he solidified himself as one of the top goal-scoring threats in a league that features the likes of Peruvian star Paolo Guerreiro, and former Wolfsburg top scorer Grafite.
So far, Jesus has tallied 13 goals in 23 matches for Palmeiras, already surpassing last year’s numbers, when he scored seven times in 37 games.
The most appealing breakthrough for the youngster this season has been his performance in the Copa Libertadores.
Jesus played five games and scored four times in the South American version of the UEFA Champions League.
The Palmeiras striker should also play a vital role this summer in Brazil’s national team for the Olympics, where he will play alongside Barcelona star Neymar.
