Exclusive: Tottenham to battle Arsenal in pursuit of Gabriel Jesus

Tottenham are poised to compete with Arsenal for Gabriel Jesus after beating their rivals to a place in next season’s Champions League.

Antonio Conte’s team secured a place among Europe’s elite, with their victory at Norwich City keeping them ahead of their North London neighbours.

Jesus’s agent, Marcelo Pettinati, has confirmed holding talks with Arsenal already, revealing the Brazil forward is interested in the “project” under Mikel Arteta.

Pettinati also says there are six more clubs interested in his client, who will decide his future this summer. It is understood that he is aware of Spurs’ interest in a deal.

Conte will look to strengthen his squad to cope with the Champions League and is also in the market for a centre-back and midfielder.

Jesus has played as a wide forward, with Pep Guardiola selecting him there for City’s title clash against Liverpool last month. He can also play as a No 9 in a partnership with Harry Kane. He was picked as a central striker during a period when he scored six goals in three games in April.

The 25-year-old has been considering his future as he is not an automatic starter at City, sparking interest from teams in offering regular games as an important part of teams.

Arsenal’s priority in the market is strikers because Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah are out of contract and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has departed for Barcelona. But failing to get into the Champions League could have an impact in the transfer market.

Arteta would have welcomed being reunited with Raheem Sterling from working together at City, but that is impossible without playing in Uefa’s elite competition next season.

Jesus wanted to concentrate on finishing the campaign before deciding his future. After scoring four goals against Watford he admitted: “It’s not just me, it’s the players if you ask for the players about playing everyone's going to say ‘I want to play’.”