Manchester City is ready to extend the Brazilian’s current deal at the Etihad, which still has three years remaining
With a UCL ban still a very real possibility for the current Premier League title holders, many Manchester City stars could be on the move if Champions League football ends up being non-existent for the next two seasons.
However, club owners are ready to give Gabriel Jesus a new contract that would pay him $120,000 per week in order to fend off interest from Italian giants Juventus, who have been tracking the striker since his days with Palmeiras back in Brazil.
According to the Sun, The 23-year old’s party seems to have a very strong relationship with Manchester City and his consistency up front has been remarkable as well. He profiles as the long-term replacement for the club’s leading goal-scorer, Sergio Aguero, whose contract ends next year.
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Jesus has featured mostly as a substitute this term but has still bagged 18 goals across all competitions, including the equalizer against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu in a remarkable comeback back in February.
Pep Guardiola is also a huge fan of Jesus, voicing that he’s one of the brightest young strikers in Europe. He’s also extremely versatile, featuring as a number ten at times and also out wide, the position he thrived in against Madrid.
Juventus were present when Jesus picked apart Los Blancos and still have a lot of interest in the youngster. But considering his rapid development under Guardiola and the club ready to give him a $20,000 per week pay raise, it seems likely that Jesus will be staying put.
The Brazilian starlet also recently told Guardiola that he’s willing to play any attacking position in order to help the team and receive more playing time. With Aguero around for another season at least, it shows that Jesus is willing to learn new things in order to contribute to the club.
It’s also a great benefit that he’s already featured in various attacking positions which will make the transition much easier. Although Jesus has played a lot of minutes off the bench, he has been a remarkable player in the final third for City.
Jesus scored 21 goals last season and another 17 the year before, so it’s evident that his finishing abilities have been very consistent with the Premier League giants. He’s deserving of an increase in wages and looks to be one of the club’s mainstays for many years to come at this rate.
If the Champions League ban does keep them out of Europe for two years, I do think Jesus would still remain with Manchester City. As for others like Kevin De Bruyne and even Raheem Sterling, they could go elsewhere in order to play on the European stage. City has appealed the ban to the Court of Arbitration for Sport and is waiting on a decision so they can plan the future of their club.