Palmeiras youngster Gabriel Jesus wants to sign for Barça
Gabriel Jesus is clear: he will play his part to push through a transfer to Barcelona. The forward, 19, knows that the Catalan club have made a move to put the brakes on Juventus' bid for him and to get his signing under control this summer.
Barça will have no problem in terms of collaboration on behalf of the player and his family, who will communicate their decision to the player's agent in Brazil and their partner in Europe, the Italian Giovanni Branchini. With Gabriel Jesus, there will not be a repeat of what happened one year ago, when the midfielder Gerson, following guidance from Fluminense, stood Barça up and accepted a 15 million euro offer to go to Roma.
The agents of Gabriel Jesus hope to wait until after the Olympic Games to define his future. They feel the Palmeiras striker, who could form an attack with Neymar, is going to increase in value. And these delay tactics will favour Barcelona's interests. By August, the club feel they will have the operations they're currently involved in wrapped up, thus clarifying the panorama.
Barça will continue to watch closely what is going on around the player. The reports on him have been good, but there is also interest from a wide range of European clubs - more than just Juve. Bayern Munich are also keen.
Gabriel Jesus release clause drops from 40 million euros to 24 million euros for five clubs: Barça, Real Madrid, Manchester United, PSG and Bayern. Palmeiras can't do a lot to stop a deal, either, as they only have 30 per cent of his rights. The player's agents own 55 per cent and he has 15 per cent himself.
The fact that he owns some of his own rights allows room for negotiating in an operation which could cost around 20 million euros. There's strong competition for his signature, but it will be possible to keep the cost down by increasing his salary throughout his contract. That would not be a problem on the squad's total salary, though, as his wages would be modest in terms of other players and would not be a threat to the Financial Fair Play regulations.
Gabriel Jesus has the right profile for Barça. He's technical, quick and can play as part of a team - which is not common with all young Brazilian stars - while he has the dribbling ability to play wide if necessary. He's young and there's lots to imrpove, too, which is the most attractive factor.
No-one would be surprised if in two years, when he is 21, he goes to the Russia World Cup with Brazil. That is, of course, if they qualify.
