Juventus looking to sign Manchester City star striker: Should Guardiola let him leave?

Bengaluru, July 20: Juventus have reportedly shown interest in Manchester City attacker Gabriel Jesus as manager Max Allegri is determined to shore up his attacking options following a disappointing campaign.

The 24-year-old Brazilian is said to be at the top of his centre-forward shortlist while the likes of Mauro Icardi, Dusan Vlahovic, Arek Milik, Andrea Belotti and Moise Kean all said to be behind him in his wish list.

City are not in a hurry to push Jesus off the books. However, with the Cityzens planning to reshape their squad, the club is looking to make player sales to balance the books. Jesus is one of the players Guardiola would be happy let go in the ongoing transfer window and Juventus are reportedly ready to take a chance.

Jesus’ last season at Etihad

The Brazilian centre-forward had a difficult 2020/2021 season and failed to nail down a spot in Guardiola's first-choice starting XI, even during times when Sergio Aguero was not fully fit. However, he delivered an impressive return despite limited chances. He made 42 appearances across all competitions for the Blues last season, scoring 14 goals while providing four assists.

Transfer Fee

Juventus have reportedly proposed to sign Gabriel Jesus on an initial loan deal from Manchester City with an option to buy him on a permanent deal next summer. The cash-strapped Serie A side reportedly want to postpone the payment to next year, as they are expecting to have more space to manage financially a year after. But Manchester City only want to earn a fee this summer, a fee of around €60m-€65m in order to fund the move for Guardiola's preferred choices. Now whether the two sides can strike a deal remains to be seen.

Should Manchester City let Jesus leave?

Despite playing second fiddle, the Brazilian youngster has chipped in third-most goals under Guardiola and has been hugely important in all of their Premier League title wins. Therefore, following the departure of, Aguero, they are not in any hurry to let him leave.

However, if City want to engineer a big-money for someone like Harry Kane or Erling Haaland they need to create big funds. In that case, cashing in on Jesus could be a good idea however only if they receive any significant payment upfront. Otherwise, it would be better off keeping him at the Etihad for at least next season before making a decision about his long-term future next summer.