Chelsea’s Romelu Lukaku transfer decision may scupper Mikel Arteta’s planned £50m Arsenal deal – Bailey Keogh

Arsenal’s transfer business could be seriously hampered by Chelsea’s decision-making in the summer window. The Gunners have been hot on the tail of Gabriel Jesus, but Romelu Lukaku could ruin Mikel Arteta’s chances of a dream deal.

According to Spanish news outlet AS, Chelsea have reportedly entered the race to sign Jesus in the summer transfer window after being offered a chance to land him. Real Madrid and Tottenham have also been offered an opportunity, according to the report.

However, it seems that Chelsea’s interest in the Brazilian will only be concrete if they manage to sell Lukaku, who has been tipped with a return to Inter Milan. Arsenal are in desperate need of a striker, and Jesus seems to be the Gunners’ main target, so this would be a major blow for Arteta.

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According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, the Gunners are preparing the opening bid for Jesus. Manchester City want around £50million to sell the forward, even if his current deal won’t be extended. Romano went on to claim that Arsenal already discussed a transfer with Jesus’ agent. “We like the project,” Marcelo Pettinati told Romano.

Arteta and the Brazilian international have worked together before during the Spaniard’s three-year tenure at the club as one of Guardiola’s coaching staff. This adds another incentive to secure his signature and improve the forward line ahead of next season.

During Jesus’ time with Arteta, the Brazilian played 6,931 minutes and he managed to score 55 goals. This meant that his goals per 90 minutes reached an average of 0.71. This record is better than when Arteta left City because, without the Spaniard, Jesus has played 6,850 minutes and scored 39 goals, which means he reached an average of 0.51 goals per game.

Jesus had a 39% goal improvement when he was being coached by Arteta, and it is certainly a relationship the pair could rekindle if the Brazilian decides to join the Gunners at the end of the season.

The signing of Jesus would certainly enhance Edu’s reputation in his ability to acquire a top striker for Arsenal. The Manchester City forward has been involved in Pep Guardiola’s successes in recent years, and he could certainly play a key role for Mikel Arteta at Arsenal.

But, Chelsea’s interest would certainly make a potential deal difficult. Arsenal’s London rivals’ could be considered a more attractive destination because they can offer the Brazilian Champions League football, which the Gunners are unable to.

Despite this, Chelsea currently have Timo Werner and Lukaku on their books, which means they are les likely to scupper any potential deal for Arsenal. But, with Inter reportedly trying to Lukaku according to various reports, his transfer outcome could potentially impact Arsenal’s ideal transfer for Jesus if he does indeed return to the San Siro or join another club.