Arsenal 'stance' on Gabriel Jesus emerges as transfer target 'waits' for offer

Arsenal are back in action on Saturday night (Sunday morning UK time) when they face Manchester United in a pre-season friendly at the glamorous SoFi Stadium. The Gunners will begin moving East after the evening’s clash, with preparations ramping up.

Mikel Arteta will be desperate to land the Premier League title this season after coming up just short on the last two occasions, but we are likely to see a number of incomings and outgoings by the time that title bid begins. In the meantime, we have rounded up all the Gunners latest.

Jesus stance

Arsenal are said to be expecting bids for striker Gabriel Jesus this summer, but they are not looking to sell. That’s according to Football Insider, who say the Gunners are expected to receive a number of enquiries, and potentially from Saudi Arabia, which could turn the player’s head given the wages on offer.

Jesus is under contract for another three years, and his versatility makes him a valuable asset for Arteta, but if the Gunners receive an offer that would allow them to make their money back, or even a profit, their resolve may well be tested.

Merino claim

Mikel Merino is reportedly a target for Arsenal this summer, and E-Noticias report that the midfielder is ‘crazy’ about the idea of linking up with Arteta at the Emirates Stadium this summer.

It’s claimed Merino has rejected other offers in a bid to join Arsenal, although it’s unclear whether the Gunners are willing to stump up the £20million or more to strike a deal.

Arteta’s tour update

Speaking in the United States about Arsenal’s bid to go one better in the Premier League title race this season, Arteta has said: “First of all, analyse what we did, and have a clear perspective of how we achieved what we achieved last year and why we didn’t achieve what we wanted, which was ultimately to win major trophies, and especially how close we came to becoming Premier League champions. It’s realising the things that we need to do better, and improve.

“We know the margins we need to do that because at the level we are at the moment, there is a very tiny margin to improve and we are trying to have clarity on which margins those are and how we’re going to improve them. My motivation and belief is looking at those boys and how much they want it, looking around the club and the excitement that is around it, and the fact that we really want it.”

On rotating his squad and giving out much-needed minutes during the Stateside trip, the Spaniard added: “The full focus is on trying to improve these guys and get the best out of them consistently so they can perform every three days at the level that we want. We know that we have certain parts in the squad that we would like to improve, but that is dictated by the market. At the moment we already have a great squad, and and we are giving the opportunity for our young players from the academy to be with us and it's a joy to have them on tour with us.”