Arsenal transfer news: Gabriel Jesus made "significant" financial decision to join Barcelona

Gabriel Jesus has revealed that he has taken a pay-cut in order to sign for Barcelona from Arsenal.

With just a year left on his contract, the Brazil international was always expected to leave the Emirates Stadium this summer.

However, after a season where he scored just six goals from 27 appearances across all competitions, completing a transfer to Camp Nou in a deal worth an alleged £8.6m has come as a surprise.

After nearly a decade in the Premier League, Jesus has jumped at the opportunity to move to La Liga.

At a press conference to announce his arrival, the 29-year-old has admitted that he has been required to take a wage drop.

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Gabriel Jesus reacts to Barcelona transfer

With Barcelona continuing to work diligently to comply with La Liga's and UEFA's financial regulations, such a move was likely necessary.

Jesus said: "Yes, I did take a pay cut – a significant one – but for me, this is a dream.

"It wasn't just me; Barca made a huge effort to make this signing happen."

Meanwhile, Jesus admitted that he understood why a move to Barcelona appeared unrealistic earlier in the summer.

He added: "If you had asked me a month ago, this possibility would have seemed very unlikely.

"But God is watching over me. At 29 years old, and after everything that has happened over the last two years, having the chance to play for Barca is thanks only to God.

"I’m excited and I’ll always want to help. When I found out I could come here, I knew for sure that I wanted to play for Barca."

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Is Gabriel Jesus match-fit to make Barcelona debut?

Jesus made as many as four appearances for Arsenal during pre-season, the most recent being a 32-minute versus Como on August 12.

Although three weeks have passed by since that outing, the versatile attacker is likely to be considered for an immediate Barcelona debut.

That could come against Valencia in La Liga on September 6 or versus Feyenoord in the Champions League on September 9.