Chelsea did try to “hijack” Gabriel Jesus’s move to Arsenal, according to the Brazilian’s agent Marcelo Pettinati.

The Gunners were always seen as favourites to secure the striker’s signature, after lengthy discussions between the club and the player that stretched back many months. Pettinati says that Jesus had already committed to signing for Mikel Arteta’s side before Chelsea made their move:

“Chelsea were one of the teams that tried to hijack the Arsenal move. They tried very hard in the final days to get him. By that point, we’d already chosen our new project.”

Arsenal fans will be glad that Jesus kept to his word. North London rivals Tottenham were not so lucky a few years back when they felt that they had a deal in place for Willian, only for him to make a U-turn and join Chelsea instead.

In contrast, Jesus seemingly didn’t contemplate making such a decision and he went through and sealed his £45m switch from Manchester City at the start of the month. It is a huge coup for the Gunners, and it’s testament to the work of Arteta and technical director Edu who got the deal over the line.