Ex-Arsenal star Paul Merson says his former club must pull out all of the stops to secure Gabriel Jesus’s signature this summer.

The Sky Sports pundit believes the success or failure of the Gunners’ season will depend on whether the club get a deal over the line for the Manchester City forward:

“Arsenal must get Gabriel Jesus if they are serious about getting back into the top four. They have got to get him. It’s that simple. Everything goes out of the window if they don’t. It doesn’t matter what else they do… They need to sort the Jesus signing out very quickly. I think he is good enough to transform Arsenal. He doesn’t get the credit he deserves. Yes, he does miss chances but he never goes hiding and he’s a centre-forward who is desperate to score goals. He has that hunger and a little bit of a selfish streak and you need that.”

Arsenal have now agreed a fee of around £45m for Jesus and it looks as though they have seen off the competition for the Brazilian’s services. Tottenham have reportedly dropped out of the race for the Brazilian, while Chelsea have seemingly moved on to other targets.

Talks with the player’s agent have stretched back well over six months and it’s safe to say that the Gunners have done everything possible to make sure they are the leading contenders for his signature. It is, therefore, hoped there will be no last-minute hitches and that a deal for Jesus will be wrapped up over the next week or so.