Why Manchester City's Interest in Gabriel Jesus Makes Sense

With this summer’s Copa America and Euro 2016 taking place simultaneously, transfer activity is likely to be kept to a minimum for the time being.

Not only are players concentrating on international football, often instructing their agents to avoid negotiations, but clubs are happy to sit tight while they watch players in a tournament environment. There’s likely to be increased activity in a few weeks' time.

Manchester City are one of the few Premier League clubs to have made a significant splash, having signed Ilkay Gundogan from Borussia Dortmund for a fee of around £20 million. Incoming City manager Pep Guardiola has admired him for a long time, having seen him close up in the Bundesliga during the Catalan’s time in charge of Bayern Munich. Gundogan’s knee injury has kept him out of Euro 2016, which meant that a deal could progress swiftly. One piece of the Guardiola jigsaw is already in place.

In recent seasons, City have operated a two-tier transfer approach, with signings divided into distinct camps: those immediately ready for first-team football and those the club see as “development players,” where a period in the EDS side and one or two loan assignments are needed to prepare them for life in the senior team.

The latest player to be linked is Gabriel Jesus, a 19-year-old Brazilian currently playing for Palmeiras. According to Dave Fraser of the Sun, City have tabled a £16.7 million bid, an offer which matches his special release clause, with Guardiola thought to be keen on landing him.

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The forward has played just 60 times since his emergence in 2015 but has made a big impression, scoring 20 goals, including in 13 in 23 games in 2016.

Every top club in Europe is likely to want Jesus, one of Brazil’s most promising emerging talents. He scored five in six games for the Brazil under-20 side and has since moved up to the under-23 setup, bagging three in four, and it has long been known in Brazilian circles that Jesus is a player with significant potential.

He started his journey towards becoming a professional when he joined Anhanguera, an amateur side in Brazil known for their ability to prepare youngsters for an academy place at a top club. He scored 54 goals in 48 appearances during his first season for Anhanguera, a record that saw scouts sit up and take notice. Interest from Palmeiras soon followed, and in 2013 he signed for the Alviverde.

There were calls from Palmeiras fans to see him introduced into the side as a 17-year-old—but club bosses were quite rightly reluctant to unleash him during a difficult period that saw them embroiled in a relegation battle. The following season, with the club stabilised, he played against Clube Atletico Bragantino, coming on as a 73rd-minute substitute in a 1-0 win.

The reaction from the Palmeiras fans spoke volumes. The anticipation to see him play had reached excruciating levels. This was a player being spoken about in the most gushing terms, and people couldn’t wait to see him make the step up to the top level.

His transition from promising youngster to operating in the top flight has been impressive. He won the Best Newcomer Award in the Brazilian league in 2015 and continues to prove adept at scoring goals against top-flight teams.

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“He will become a major player in Brazilian football, and also the Selecao, if they have patience,” said Palmeiras under-17 coach Bruno Petri, as reported by O-Posts. “He is a boy who is easy to speak with and work with and who is different to the others in the question of training, always giving more than 100 per cent.”

Former Barcelona striker and Brazilian legend Ronaldo is another fan, saying, per the Sun, “I’m betting on two talents, they’re still developing but have a lot of quality. Gabriel Barbosa of Santos and Gabriel Jesus of Palmeiras are very young talents and haven’t even turned 20."

It is perhaps Jesus’ pace, finishing prowess and adaptability that have made him so highly rated. He is capable of playing anywhere across the attacking support roles in a 4-2-3-1 or as an out-and-out striker.

Like many Brazilians who learn to play on the streets before being shaped by coaches, Jesus boasts excellent technique and can take players on. He's exciting to watch, and it's clear why players as esteemed as Ronaldo are expecting big things.

The excitement that has greeted his emergence has been similar to when Neymar came through. Brazil's senior side expects him, and Europe's top clubs are circling. City are one of them. Sources close to the club suggest they have watched Jesus play and are aware of his quality, but no concrete offer has yet been made.

If City do firm up their interest, it's unclear whether Jesus would be a development player, sent out on loan for a period to acclimatise to European football, or whether he is first-team-ready and in a position to support the likes of Sergio Aguero. However, their interest offers further evidence of their desire to battle for every top young player across the world. 

This is a teenager with huge talent but plenty of work still to do. He's unlikely to stay in Brazil much longer.

Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report's lead Manchester City correspondent and follows the club from a Manchester base. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @RobPollard_.