Gabriel Jesus to Manchester City: Latest Transfer Details, Reaction and More

Brazilian starlet Gabriel Jesus has completed a transfer from Palmeiras to Manchester City and will join the club in January 2017. He also penned a contract that will keep him at the Etihad Stadium through the end of the 2020-21 season.  

Manchester City announced the deal on Wednesday, providing comments from the player:

"Manchester City is one of the best clubs in the world so I'm really pleased to sign," Jesus said. "We have many great talents in the team and a fantastic manager in Pep Guardiola that I can learn so much from. I'm looking forward to showing the City fans what I can do and I think we'll have a great future together!"

Per the Sun's Dave Fraser, City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Bayern Munich, Juventus and Barcelona were all interested in the 19-year-old attacking sensation. Anthony Chapman of the Sun (h/t Metro's Jamie Sanderson) added AS Roma, Benfica and Arsenal to the list.

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That's an impressive list of potential suitors, but Jesus is no ordinary prospect. The speedster, who can play in a central role or out wide, is regarded as one of the top young talents in Brazilian football, along with Santos' Gabriel Barbosa.

While "Gabigol" is frequently compared to Luis Suarez for his direct approach and finishing ability, Jesus is more reminiscent of compatriot Neymar. One look at his highlights shows just how much he loves to dribble and play in space:

He won the Brazilian league's Best Newcomer award in 2015, and he would have been a part of the 2016 Copa America Centenario team but failed to obtain the correct visa in time, per MailOnline's Rohan Banerjee.

His impact in the 2016 Brasileiro campaign has been impressive so far, per WhoScored.com:

City may have to be patient with Jesus, who has limited experience at the highest level and still has some rough edges to his play, but his long-term potential is obvious.

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Rob Pollard of the Manchester Evening News believes a loan move back to Palmeiras is likely, and such a transfer would be perfect, allowing the youngster to continue his development.

City have plenty of options in attack already, and they don't need Jesus to be productive for the club immediately. Locking him up now was key, given the amount of interest other clubs showed, but the Citizens can afford to stash him in Brazil while Sergio Aguero, Kelechi Iheanacho and Wilfried Bony lead the attack for now.