Nine months in the works – The full story behind Barcelona’s signing of Gabriel Jesus

Nine months in the works – The full story behind Barcelona’s signing of Gabriel Jesus Gabriel Jesus’ signing at FC Barcelona came like a bolt out of the blue and was completed in a matter of hours. Indeed, reports of a move for the striker emerged on 30 August (Sunday) and an agreement was finalised moments later, before he arrived in Barcelona the next day and the transfer was officially announced on 1 September (Tuesday). But, according to SPORT , the deal had actually been on Deco’s radar for nine months. Jesus only joined Hansi Flick’s squad towards the end of the summer window after a series of approaches, refusals and a dramatic change of plans. Lewandowski’s departure shaped the search for a striker Barcelona began last season knowing that Robert Lewandowski was entering his final campaign at the club. The Catalans’ main target to replace him was Julian Alvarez, while Atletico Madrid made it clear that they had no intention of giving up their star forward. That situation created an ideal environment for agents to present Deco with alternative strikers. The list of forwards offered to the Blaugrana was extensive, but one name kept returning: Gabriel Jesus. By the end of November 2025, he had recovered from his ACL injury and was training normally at Arsenal. However, the team was competing for the Premier League and Mikel Arteta had little appetite for unnecessary changes to his squad. Jesus, meanwhile, needed regular minutes to recover the level he had previously shown. A January move therefore appeared to be the obvious solution. Deco initially rejected the opportunity Jesus was initially offered to Barcelona in December. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images) In December, Deco became aware that Jesus could be a realistic and financially accessible option for Barcelona when the winter transfer window opened. There were obvious risks after the Brazilian had spent a significant period on the sidelines. Deco nevertheless studied the possibility before ultimately deciding against it. However, Barcelona did not believe they needed another striker at that stage. Therefore, the Jesus file was put to one side, but it was never completely forgotten. Veteran agent Giovanni Branchini continued to keep the Brazilian’s name in Barcelona’s orbit. Deco appreciated the player’s quality, but throughout the first half of 2026 his answer remained the same: other positions and players were a higher priority. The same answer came again in the summer When summer arrived and the World Cup concluded, Barcelona still had not resolved their search for a top-level centre-forward. Lewandowski had now officially left, prompting the club to reopen various contacts and explore several possible deals. Barcelona remained focused on Alvarez, but once again, Jesus’ name was brought to Deco. Once again, the answer was no. In fact, Barça did not even contact Arsenal to explore a potential deal or establish the initial financial conditions for a transfer. The day when Deco made the move Eventually, however, the market left Barcelona with little choice. The club had strengthened significantly during the summer, but their main objective had remained out of reach. With Alvarez becoming impossible to sign, it was time to activate Plan B. Deco tied up the Jesus deal quickly once the decision was made. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images) Barcelona had considered several other forwards, including Lautaro Martinez and Nicolas Tresoldi, while a number of other names were also linked with the club. But with Flick’s approval, Deco returned to the Jesus option. On 27 August, the day Barcelona faced Athletic Club in La Liga, Deco decided that the time had come to act. He knew Arsenal were prepared to sell Gabriel Jesus for a relatively modest €10 million, leaving only the player’s salary and contract structure to resolve. The agreement was completed within 24 hours. Jesus agreed to adjust his salary , while Barcelona accepted a third guaranteed year on his contract. The two sides were satisfied, and the operation was finally completed. What appeared to be a last-minute signing was therefore anything but. There had been roughly nine months of intermittent contact, several opportunities to reconsider the deal and repeated decisions by Deco to prioritise other targets. After all that, Gabriel Jesus is now officially a Barcelona player and could make his debut on Sunday against Valencia .