On September 4 Beijing time (CEST), according to "Mundo Deportivo", Gabriel Jesus's strong desire to win the Champions League was highly valued by Barcelona, and this was one of the key factors in his decision to join the club.

In the final moments before the summer transfer window closed, Barcelona completed the signing of 29-year-old Brazilian striker Gabriel Jesus. "Mundo Deportivo" first revealed Barcelona's interest in him last Sunday, and the news quickly sent shockwaves through international football. Developments then moved rapidly. The very next day, Jesus had already flown to Barcelona for his medical examination.

However, according to "Mundo Deportivo", contact between the two parties had begun at least a week earlier. Throughout the transfer window, Barcelona was heavily interested in 26-year-old Atlético Madrid striker Julián Álvarez. The Argentine striker was eager to wear a Barcelona shirt, and Laporta, Deco, and Flick all fully agreed that his desire to join Barcelona should be fulfilled. However, given the firm stance of Atlético Madrid CEO Gil Marín, signing Álvarez this summer proved extremely difficult. For this reason, the club decided to prepare a contingency plan with the core objective of bringing in a pure striker for the coach to complete the final piece of the squad puzzle.

Therefore, a week before "Mundo Deportivo" reported the news, Barcelona had already contacted Jesus to gauge his willingness to join the team. At that time, everyone knew he was not a regular starter under Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, and was even behind Havertz and Gyökeres. However, Barcelona still needed to confirm his personal desire. Jesus's attitude was very positive, as playing for Barcelona had been a lifelong dream of his. Since 2016, he had the opportunity to join, but Manchester City fought hard to recruit him, and Barcelona regrettably missed that chance.

Subsequently, Barcelona began strictly evaluating Jesus's physical condition, particularly his knee injury. In fact, in the Costa Brava Cup match (Girona 1-4 Arsenal) on August 1, he came on as a substitute and scored a goal. Barcelona specifically contacted the English medical team that had previously treated his knee and received full assurance that Jesus had fully recovered and was in excellent physical condition.

Barcelona ultimately decided to sign Jesus. The club was attracted to him because Jesus is a skilled number 9 who excels at connecting with teammates: he can drop deep outside the penalty area and use his individual ability to create connections in tight spaces, and he also tirelessly applies high pressure in the final third of the pitch. The player himself also explicitly stated that he was willing to play in any position across the front line, even on the wing.

Moreover, Jesus's desire to win the Champions League deeply moved Barcelona – previously, both with Manchester City (narrowly losing to Chelsea in the final) and Arsenal (losing to Paris Saint-Germain in last season's final), he had always fallen just short of winning the Champions League trophy.

Flick strongly approved of Jesus and his personal style, as recommended by Deco, believing that his technical characteristics are very similar to Álvarez's. However, it should be emphasized that signing Jesus does not mean Barcelona has given up on Álvarez. What truly facilitated the deal for Barcelona was Jesus's very "affordable" transfer fee. Despite his contract with Arsenal not expiring until 2027, The Gunners ultimately only asked for a fixed transfer fee of €10 million. Both parties signed a 3-year contract, and Jesus also accepted a significant salary reduction compared to his time at Arsenal. Another advantage is that he already knows many Barcelona players from his time at Manchester City and the Brazilian national team.

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