Arsenal’s secret weapon? Mikel Arteta excited at return of ‘very unpredictable’ star player from injury

While Arteta’s focus remains on fitness and form, rumours about Jesus’s long-term future have refused to go away. Reports from Mail Online earlier this month claimed Arsenal could be open to selling the forward, with Brazilian giants Flamengo and Palmeiras both interested in bringing him back home. Everton, too, are said to be weighing up an ambitious January approach. But Jesus himself has moved swiftly to quash those whispers. Speaking to Placar, as reported by ESPN Brasil, the 28-year-old was adamant that his future lies in north London. 

“Every day, the [Arsenal] coach and the board say they’re eager for my return,” he said. “I don’t see myself outside the club’s plans. I have a contract until 2027, and if it’s not renewed by then, I’ll be at the club at least until 2027.”

That said, the Brazilian didn’t shy away from acknowledging his love affair with Palmeiras, the club where he began his professional career. 

“Palmeiras’ interest will always be there, both from them and from me,” Jesus said. “But there’s been nothing formal. It’s the natural interest of a kid who came through the Palmeiras youth system, went to Europe, and obviously wants to return one day. Everyone at the club knows that. I’m a player, and it’s a little harder to say, but when I feel like returning to Brazil, which isn’t the case right now, my desire is and always will be Palmeiras.”