Barcelona are expected to be busy in the next 36 hours, as they prepare to finalise Hansi Flick’s squad for the 2026-27 season. The summer transfer window closes soon, and there is still a number of situations that need to be resolved by sporting director Deco – and currently, the most pressing of these relates to Gabriel Jesus.
Over the weekend, Barcelona agreed a deal to sign the Arsenal striker, who has been pencilled in to play the “Ferran Torres” role from the last few seasons. The 29-year-old has been surplus to requirements in North London, which meant that an agreement was easily reached between the two European heavyweights.
The expedited nature of the negotiations means that Jesus will arrive in Catalonia on Monday afternoon. He will then undergo a medical before taking in Barcelona’s La Liga fixture against Rayo Vallecano, with MD noting that the plan is for his signing to be announced on Tuesday, hours prior to the transfer window closing.
Jesus is a low-risk move by Barcelona
Barcelona are clear that Jesus will not be arriving to be the regular starting striker, so it must be stressed that he must not be treated as such. The Catalans see him as a market opportunity at €10m plus add-ons, and his arrival ensures that Hansi Flick will be able to call upon at least one natural number nine, in the event that Julian Alvarez does not arrive – as expected.
It will be interesting to see how Jesus gets on at Barcelona. A lot of supporters have already expressed concerns about his injury record over the last few years, but the club themselves are not phased by the matter – they believe that he will be a very valuable contributor over the course of the next two seasons, which will be how long he is contracted for.