GABRIEL JESUS' FIRST WORDS AFTER ARRIVING IN BARCELONA AHEAD OF €10 MOVE: 'EAGER TO SCORE GOALS'

 

Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images

Barcelona are moving a step closer to completing the signing of Gabriel Jesus from Arsenal.

The Brazilian forward is set to join the club on a €10 million contract, with an additional €4 million in add-ons and Arsenal retaining a 20% sell-on fee clause.

Gabriel is slated for a medical today in Barcelona and ahead of that medical, the player appears to have already arrived in the city.

Gabriel reacts after arriving at Barcelona

Spanish journalist Victor Navarro has captured videos of Gabriel Jesus arriving in the Barcelona city this afternoon, ahead of his medical.

The forward can be seen waving the fans and even reacting to his Barcelona move for the first time after the speculations broke.

“I am eager to score many goals at Barça!” said the Arsenal forward, who is being signed as a momentary alternative to Julian Alvarez.

The Argentine was Barcelona’s top target this summer but Atletico Madrid were able to keep hold of the striker, prompting the club to sign Gabriel as an alternative.

The former Man City starlet, who was targeted by Barça way back in 2016, will be expected to operate as a number nine whenever required.

Gabriel arrives fully fit

Apart from waving at fans and showing his eagerness to getting things started at Barcelona, Gabriel Jesus offered a critical update no his fitness as well.

Gabriel Jesus is soon expected to complete his move to Barcelona. (Photo by James Fearn/Getty Images)

When asked about his injury situation, the forward replied, “My injury? My knee it’s perfect!”

This will serve as a massive relief for Barcelona fans who were worried about Gabriel’s recent issues with injury, which had drastically reduced his game-time.

With Gabriel now back to full fitness, it will be interesting to see whether or not the Brazilian international can rekindle his old form and make a big difference at Barcelona.

The forward’s past experience, coupled with his versatility in the final third should make quite the asset for Hansi Flick, but only if he can perform up to his level this season.

- Connell Edgar-Jones

BIRMINGHAM CITY VS. BARCELONA | 2-2 | INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLY|

 

'DECO SENT AN OFFER' - JOAN LAPORTA SAYS BARCELONA HAVE MADE A BID FOR JULIAN ALVAREZ

“We know the player has wanted to come since before playing for Manchester City.”

Photo by Guillermo Martinez/NurPhoto via Getty Images) NurPhoto via Getty Images

Joan Laporta is officially Barcelona president again and spoke about Julian Alvarez at an inauguration event on Wednesday.

Barcelona are keen to bring in Alvarez this summer but Atletico continue to insist they haven’t received an offer from the Catalans and that he’s not for sale.

Laporta insists that the two clubs have been talking and that Deco submitted a bid, believed to be for 100 million euros, for the Argentina international.

“We’ve spoken with Atlético de Madrid and Deco sent an offer. We know the player has wanted to come since before playing for Manchester City,” he said.

”I spoke with Gil Marin, who told me that in principle they did not plan to sell. The offer is firm and we will maintain it. We will not be at the expense of what Atlético de Madrid says.

“We have a great relationship with Atleti. The offer will remain in force and could be made, but it is not unlimited in time. Atlético says that they do not sell because they had no alternative; now if they have an alternative, we will see.”

Marin also admitted previously that he’d spoken with Laporta about Alvarez but also accused the Barca chief of “disrespecting” his club and insisted the Catalans aren’t capable of carrying out such a big-money transfer.

- Gill Clark

ANTHONY GORDON'S HUGE £80M BARCELONA DEAL WITH THREE CLAUSES SET TO MAKE NEWCASTLE MILLIONS

Anthony Gordon's sale to Barcelona could prove highly lucrative for Newcastle United down the line

Anthony Gordon made a big-money move to Barcelona before the World Cup(Image: Getty Images)

Anthony Gordon's move to Barcelona this summer could end up landing Newcastle United millions due to three clauses inserted into the deal. While he's been at the centre of one of the biggest transfers of the summer, the Liverpudlian winger failed to impress for England against Ghana on Tuesday evening.

In fact, so far, he's looked a shadow of the man that the Catalan giants shelled out in excess of £69.3million for. Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel elected to keep Gordon in his starting line-up for the tie with the Black Stars despite also underperforming in England's 4-2 win over Croatia last week.

Gordon's speed, directness and ability to race to the byline are just some of the reasons Barcelona chose to move for him over Marcus Rashford, who had impressed on loan at Barca last season. However, Gordon will do well to keep his place for England's clash with Panama on Saturday night.

Despite Gordon more often than not starring for Newcastle during his time in the North East, there'll be sections of the fanbase who believe they've had the better end of the deal with the player currently struggling at the World Cup.

He's signed on for five years in Spain and the figures involved are rather astonishing. His deal is set to expire in 2031 and it's thought he's pulling in £300,000 per week, for an annual salary of £15.6 million. Over the full five years of his contract, this amounts to around just shy of £80m.

Gordon, who joined Newcastle from Everton in 2023, cost the club £45m. The deal to take the attacker to the Camp Nou will see 15 per cent being paid to the Toffees.

Gordon struggled to make an impact against Ghana(Image: Getty Images)

With that in mind, the Magpies' trio of clauses mean there's a reality where they will bank much more than the initial fee for Gordon in the future.

Here we take a look at the trio of clauses, which were added to the deal by the club's sporting director Ross Wilson, and just how much Newcastle could bank from the deal.

The 60% Appearance Clause

Newcastle will receive £860,000 (€1m) per season if Gordon features in at least 60 per cent of Barcelona's fixtures, something he has never struggled to do during his time at St James' Park. If he stays fit and remains a regular starter, Newcastle will max this out at £4.3m (€5m) by the end of his contract.

The Silverware Clause

A further £4.3m (€5m) will be paid to Newcastle if Gordon helps Barcelona win trophies during his stint at the Camp Nou. This could bode well for the Magpies with Barcelona having won La Liga for the past two consecutive seasons.

He signed a five-year deal(Image: Adria Puig/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Sell-On Clause

Newcastle also wisely inserted a sell-on clause into the deal. While the exact percentage has been kept under wraps, it will ensure that the North East outfit will take a cut of any future transfer fee. This is typically based on the sale's profit if Barcelona choose to cut ties with Gordon before his contract expires.

- Chris Burns

BARCELONA FORWARD SAYS EL CLASICO ''THE LEAST OF PRESSURE' FOR PLAYERS

Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images

With the La Liga title race reaching its decisive stage, all eyes are now on the upcoming El Clasico between Barcelona and Real Madrid at Camp Nou.

The pressure surrounding the fixture could hardly be bigger, as Barcelona know that avoiding defeat would place them in complete control of the title race, while Real Madrid simply cannot afford to drop points if they want to keep their hopes alive.

Ahead of the massive encounter, Barcelona forward Ferran Torres spoke to AS about the emotions, pressure, and excitement that come with playing in one of football’s biggest matches.

Despite the importance of the occasion, the Spaniard admitted that players often feel less pressure during games like El Clasico because these are the matches they dream of playing throughout their careers.

“This kind of match is the one every player dreams of playing. It’s actually the opposite. That’s when there’s the least pressure. 

“It’s fun. That’s when you most want to play, when you’re most motivated,” he said.

A decent record vs Real Madrid

Ferran already has significant experience against Madrid since joining Barcelona. 

Ferran Torres is not too worried about El Clasico. (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images)

The Spanish forward has faced Los Blancos 14 times for the Catalan side and has regularly managed to hurt their defence, registering three goals and four assists in those matches.

One of his most memorable moments came during last season’s Copa del Rey final when he scored after getting past both Antonio Rudiger and Thibaut Courtois in a decisive attacking move.

Looking back at that goal, Ferran explained that footballers barely have time to process what is happening in moments like that because instinct takes over completely.

“When the game ended, I barely even remembered the play because you don’t have time to process it. 

“During the play, it was all about seeing the opening, and you don’t think about who’s in front of you or behind you – you just focus on scoring. 

“When you see the ball go in… honestly, it’s an incredible feeling,” he concluded.

- Swapnil