According to a recent report by Italian publication TuttoSport, Italian football legend Luca Toni has urged his former club Juventus to move for the signature of Manchester City star Gabriel Jesus in the summer, rather than go for Harry Kane.
The World Cup winning striker has stated that the young Brazilian would be better suited to Juventus than some of the other names linked, which included Harry Kane, Timo Werner, Erling Haaland and Mauro Icardi. Toni further went on to advocate that Jesus would be the ideal partner for Cristiano Ronaldo by stating that he offers the right mix of both goals and assists.
A further report on this regard by Manchester Evening News suggests that the Serie A giants are keen to add another striker to their ranks in the summer as Maurizio Sarri looks to take control of the league next year, after a relatively difficult first campaign in Turin. Although this report claims that Jesus is currently happy at Manchester City competing with Sergio Aguero, the opportunity to partner up with Cristiano Ronaldo at 22 years could be far too much for the youngster to pass up on.
What Does Gabriel Jesus Add To This Manchester City Side?
The Brazilian striker was acquired directly from Palmeiras, and his signing during the winter window of 2017 went largely under the radar. Although playing time was initially hard to come by for the youngster due to the presence of Sergio Aguero, he eventually worked his way into Pep Guardiola’s mind. Slowly but steadily, the Brazilian seemed to make a place for himself in the side, and he can often be seen replacing the aforementioned Argentine veteran around the hour mark of most fixtures.
More recently though, Guardiola’s trust in the former Palmeiras man seems to have increased, with the youngster being trusted with starting roles in the league as well. Adept at positioning himself in the box and reacting first to ‘pinball’ situations, the striker could be described as a goal-poacher, but that would surely be undermining his strong skill-set. The fact that he’s scored ten goals and picked up five assists from his 25 league games this season further highlights the quality that he adds to this City side.
Why Manchester City Cannot Afford To Let Him Leave?
Jesus has undoubtedly been one of the Citizens’ standout players this season, and selling him in the summer would surely be the last thing on Pep Guardiola’s mind. The Brazilian has been thrown in from the start in some of their most prominent fixtures of the campaign so far, and it’s safe to say that he’s passed most of the tests he’s been issued with flying colours.
Guardiola has also seemingly discovered the youngster’s versatility in the sense that he’s been deployed on the flanks on a couple of occasions over recent months. The Brazilian’s willingness to play anywhere across the front-line is commendable, and the fact that he’s happy to compete with one of the best strikers in the world in Sergio Aguero is only going to improve him as a footballer. All things considered, Jesus could be the ideal Sergio Aguero replacement in the long run, and keeping him at the Etihad beyond the summer will surely be one of the manager’s priorities.
