Gabriel Jesus' agent Marcelo Pettinati has revealed that his client turned down Chelsea before joining Arsenal this summer.
The north Londoners have wasted no time during the summer transfer window, spending in excess of £80million to bring in Matt Turner, Fabio Vieira, Marquinhos and Jesus. football.london revealed back in April that technical director Edu had been in talks with the Brazilian international's representatives regarding a potential move away from Manchester City.
And Pettinati has now admitted that Thomas Tuchel's side attempted to hijack the transfer but the 25-year-old had his heart set on a move to the Emirates Stadium. Speaking to reporter Freddie Paxton, Pettinati said: "Chelsea were one of the teams that tried to hijack the Arsenal move. They tried very hard in the final days to get him. By that point, we’d already chosen our new project.”
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After missing out on UEFA Champions League qualification back in May, many predicted the Gunners to struggle in the transfer window but Pettinati's comments will show the Arsenal faithful that they still have considerable pull when it comes to convincing players to join Mikel Arteta's project. Jesus also looks like he will soon be joined in north London by former teammate Oleksandr Zinchenko in the coming days.
Zinchenko's versatility would be a welcome addition to Arteta's side, with the Ukrainian capable of playing left-back and central midfield. According to Sky Sports, Arsenal are keen to conclude a deal for the 25-year-old early next week, as per whilst personal terms are thought to not be a problem.
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