Jesus Takes Pay Cut to Fulfill ‘Dream’ Barcelona Move

Gabriel Jesus said he accepted a significant salary reduction to make his “dream” of playing for Barcelona come true. The Brazilian forward completed his move from Arsenal on Tuesday after signing a three-year contract with the Spanish champions.

Barcelona agreed to pay up to €15 million (£12.85 million), with a sell-on fee included. Jesus said both sides had to compromise to complete the transfer, which came together rapidly over the weekend.

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I took a significant salary drop, but it’s a dream to be here.

“I took a significant salary drop, but it’s a dream to be here,” Jesus said at his presentation. “But it wasn’t just me who had to make an effort to get the transfer over line, Barça also played their part.”

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But it wasn’t just me who had to make an effort to get the transfer over line, Barça also played their part.

The 29-year-old added that he had not expected the move to happen so soon. “If you had asked me one month ago, I would have said it was unlikely this would happen. At 29, I didn’t think I would have the chance to come to Barça.”

The transfer developed after Barcelona failed to land their preferred target, Atlético Madrid striker Julián Álvarez.

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If you had asked me one month ago, I would have said it was unlikely this would happen. At 29, I didn’t think I would have the chance to come to Barça.