Arsenal player agrees to join Barcelona in transfer nobody saw coming as bid accepted

Barcelona have reached an agreement to sign a surprise Arsenal player with days remaining of the transfer window.

Just a few months after hoisting the Premier League title, Mikel Arteta has been on a warpath to bolster his squad with proven talent while culling those who don't fit into his plan.

A lot of this Arsenal transfer activity is at the top of the pitch, as Kai Havertz looks to have nailed down the starting striker role with Bukayo Saka on the right and new signing Christos Tzolis on the left.

The shake-up has already seen Leandro Trossard be shipped off to Beşiktaş, while the futures of Gabriel Martinelli, Reiss Nelson, Ethan Nwaneri, and Viktor Gyökeres have been up for discussion.

Specifically, the latter forward has attracted attention from European giants like Barcelona, as the £63.5 million move hasn't been as fruitful as he would have hoped.

But despite talks continuing with Atletico Madrid for Julian Alvarez, it looks like Gyökeres is set to stay as Barcelona have had a bid accepted for another Arsenal forward.

After 84 appearances and 21 goals for Arsenal since joining in 2022, five-time Premier League champion Gabriel Jesus is reportedly heading to the Spanish giants.

Gabriel Jesus set for Barcelona switch after shock bid is accepted

Often the forgotten man at Arsenal, the Brazilian striker has been cast out of Arteta's 2026/27 plans after two years of injuries.

Now, according to Fabrizio Romano, Jesus is set to join Barcelona for €10 million (£8.5 million) plus add-ons.

The transfer guru claims that a medical is booked in for Monday, and Jesus 'immediately' said yes to the transfer, signing a two-plus-one deal that could see him stay until 2029.

"The surprise deal is done and completed, verbal agreement has been agreed with Arsenal and the Brazilian striker," he said in a video upload.

"Barcelona decided to proceed with Gabriel Jesus amid the complications with the Julian Alvarez deal."

Jesus scored just six goals in 27 appearances in a stop-start season in Arsenal's championship-winning season, but Barcelona has identified him as the missing link in their forward line.

It ends a long saga of transfer woes for Barcelona, who have been after a Robert Lewandowski replacement all summer, having even trialled new signing Anthony Gordon down the middle.

As for Arsenal, this deal will undoubtedly give them hope that the two-way bidding war for Alvarez is now a one-horse race, should the Argentine striker decide to leave.

It could also fund the surprise move for Marcus Rashford.