Arsenal must listen to £60m demand to bolster Mikel Arteta transfer hopes

Time appears to be ticking on Gabriel Jesus' Arsenal career. The 27-year-old's surprise move to the Emirates Stadium from Premier League rivals, Manchester City, will enter its third year at the end of the campaign.

For all the success that he had in Manchester and the promise that came with his move, unfortunately for Jesus, he hasn't quite lived up to the expectations. Under Mikel Arteta, the Gunners are now bonafide title contenders and the development under the guidance of the Spaniard has transformed their fortunes from top-four chasers to battling at the summit of England's top-flight.

The Premier League title race has gone down to the wire after remaining on a knife-edge throughout the campaign with Liverpool and City involved. Jurgen Klopp's side tailed away and a slip-up from the Gunners was capitalised upon by the ruthless Citizens. As is the case with the title race, it comes to a matter of ifs and buts.

For Arsenal, their 'what-could-have-been' moments often point to the profligacy in front of goal, as well as their lack of attacking quality in season-defining matches. Jesus was handed the opportunity to lead the line throughout the campaign but has fallen down the pecking order, in conjunction with a rise to prominence from Kai Havertz.

With similarities between the two players' respective careers at City and Chelsea, where they fell out of favour, the German has come of age in North London but the same can't be said for Jesus. So much so, Brazilian icon, Rivaldo, admitted that leaving the club could be beneficial for his aspirations of making the 2026 World Cup.

"I also think it's crucial for Casemiro, Richarlison and Gabriel Jesus to look for another club, if they are serious about returning to play for Brazil," he said speaking to Betfair. "He has lost his place in the Arsenal starting line-up and spends too much time on the bench.

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"He has already been to the World Cup, but there are other players in the same position standing out, scoring goals, and Jesus needs more minutes.

"Without much opportunity to play, it is time for him to think about leaving the club to be able to return to the Brazilian national team. Jesus needs to be ready for the 2026 World Cup and he will not get there because of what he did in the past. Football is about what a player is currently showing, so he needs to be a starter."

Injuries have played their part in his struggles at the Emirates Stadium too with a spate of four injuries this season alone, three of which have been knee issues. As a result, he has missed 16 matches in all competitions and when you compare to the likes of City and Liverpool, rarely are their star forwards out for such an extended period.

It's easy to look at Jesus naively. While he is a striker, his role is different to the great strikers past and present in the Premier League. But when the numbers are crunched, it isn't good reading for Jesus and at the end of the day, forwards are ranked on their goalscoring exploits.

This season alone, he has just four goals and five assists in 26 Premier League outings. In his Arsenal career, he has found the back of the net 19 times in 68 outings, in all competitions. A lot of speculation surrounds the forward position at the Emirates Stadium as they look set to be so close, yet so far from European success and ending their two-decade-long wait to lift the English top-flight title.

Ivan Toney is among the list of candidates to bolster the strike force in north London and more tentatively, Kylian Mbappe. Jesus has three years remaining on his contract and could earn a hefty fee should a club make an offer. With the tight financial fair play restraints staring down at Arsenal, it could be the ideal switch to ease any fears.