Manchester City have signed Gabriel Jesus from Palmeiras, securing the signature of the 19-year-old wonderkid for £27 million, rising to £31 million with add-ons. One of Brazil's brightest young stars, the Blues have signed yet another of the world's most highly touted attacking prospects.
Currently on Olympic duty with Brazil, Gabriel Jesus will join City in December after the Campeonato Brasileiro ends. The electric forward scored 19 goals in 30 games this season for Palmeiras, and was named Newcomer of the Year in Brazil in 2015. His performances for Palmeiras and Brazil's youth sides attracted attention from huge clubs like Barcelona, Real Madrid, Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United, with City and Pep Guardiola eventually winning out.
Alongside Brazil's other young starlet Gabigol, Gabriel Jesus is often (of course) compared to Neymar for their sensational dribbling skills, flair for entertainment and eye for goal.
Like fellow new boy Leroy Sane, Gabriel Jesus is a livewire with the ball at his feet, capable of playing across a front three, or as an out-and-out striker. Fairly two-footed, he mainly prefers to operate on the left side of midfield, with the freedom to drift into the center to combine or take players on one-on-one.
Manchester City's director of football, Txiki Begiristain, had this to say about City's new starlet: "We are delighted that Gabriel has chosen to join us. He is one of the most exciting young prospects in world football and plays the game in a spectacular way. We look forward to him making a big impact at Manchester City."
Grade: A
Another stellar signing for Manchester City. The Blues have gone into this transfer window with a clear goal of strengthening their attack with young, versatile prospects, and Gabriel Jesus ticks every single one of these boxes. The 19-year-old clearly already has fantastic ability, and his potential to be one of world soccer's best will have Citizens salivating.
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