Gabriel Jesus has disclosed that he accepted a significant pay cut to complete his “dream” transfer from Arsenal to Barcelona.
The Brazilian striker joined Barcelona on Tuesday after the Spanish champions reached an agreement with Arsenal on a deal worth up to €15 million (£12.85m), including a sell-on fee.
Gabriel Jesus has signed a three-year contract with the Catalan club. “I took a significant salary drop, but it’s a dream to be here,” Jesus said during his presentation.
He added that both he and Barcelona had made efforts to ensure the transfer was completed. “If you had asked me one month ago, I would have said it was unlikely this would happen. At 29, I didn’t think I would have the chance to come to Barça,” he said.
The transfer developed rapidly over the weekend after Barcelona failed to secure their preferred target, Atletico Madrid striker Julián Álvarez.
Gabriel Jesus said he only became aware of Barcelona’s interest about a week before the move was completed. “A week ago, I received a message that it could happen,” he said.
“When I started to think it was a real possibility, I was so excited. Now I can’t wait to start training and playing.”
The former Manchester City forward also dismissed concerns about being Barcelona’s second choice after Álvarez.
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“It doesn’t annoy me, it doesn’t bother me,” Jesus said, adding that what matters most to him is playing football and maintaining his reputation.
Jesus revealed that he had previously been offered an opportunity to join Barcelona about a decade ago, before eventually moving to Manchester City. He said the latest transfer represented another opportunity to fulfil a long-held ambition.
“I have the chance to play for Barcelona, a chance I had 10 years ago and now life has offered me that opportunity again,” he said.
Jesus made an impressive start to his Arsenal career after joining the Gunners from Manchester City in 2022.
However, his progress was disrupted by an ACL injury in 2025, after which he struggled to regain a regular place in Mikel Arteta’s starting lineup.
Kai Havertz and Viktor Gyökeres were preferred ahead of him as Jesus found opportunities increasingly limited. The Brazilian insisted he has now fully recovered from his injury.
“The last two years have been really complicated after the knee injury,” Jesus said. “I was out of the game for almost one year, but it’s in the past. I feel good physically now.” He added: “I recovered well, returned to action for Arsenal and I am 100% ready to play and give my all.”
Jesus arrives at Barcelona following the departures of Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres during the summer. He is expected to provide Hansi Flick with a natural No. 9 option in the first-team squad.
The Brazilian will join an attacking group that includes Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, Anthony Gordon and Karim Adeyemi as Barcelona prepare for the new season.
ESPN
