£45m Arsenal player edges closer to exit after Romelu Lukaku transfer development

Gabriel Jesus has been available for transfer all summer.

Napoli have been the most serious suitors, with strong interest from the Italian club and a willingness to do a deal, but progress has been slow.

Arsenal are holding out for around £17million, while Napoli are trying to drive that price down.

Now, a new development could help get things moving.

According to Gianluca Di Marzio, Romelu Lukaku is “very close” to joining Fenerbahce, with the parties finalising the final details of an agreement that is now “truly nearing completion”.

Lukaku has been at Napoli, taking up a significant chunk of their striker budget and their squad space.

His departure would open the door for Napoli to accelerate their pursuit of Jesus.

Arsenal need to get Gabriel Jesus off the books

Gabriel Jesus is effectively Arsenal’s fourth-choice striker, behind Kai Havertz, Viktor Gyokeres and Mikel Merino in the pecking order.

His £265,000-a-week wages are extraordinarily difficult to justify for a player who started just nine Premier League games last season.

Getting him off the books is one of Arsenal’s most pressing pieces of summer housekeeping.

Napoli gaining the squad space and budget that Lukaku’s exit would free up could be the catalyst that finally gets this deal over the line.

Jesus arrived at the Emirates in 2022 and helped transform Arsenal into genuine title challengers. His influence on the culture, belief, and pressing intensity of the squad cannot be overstated.

But it has ultimately run its course. Napoli could provide a fresh challenge for Jesus, who is still only 29.

He still has enough quality to make a real impact in Serie A, and put his name back into contention for the Brazil squad, having missed out on the 2026 World Cup.

Lukaku heading to Turkey could be the domino that makes it happen.