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Manchester City ace Kevin De Bruyne has reserved special praise for his club teammate Gabriel Jesus, who could leave the Etihad this summer.
The Brazilian is under contract with the Premier League champions till June 2023, but Arsenal are pushing for a summer move. He has only started 18 top-flight games this season and another two in the UEFA Champions League, so the striker could seek greener pastures.
However, more recently, Jesus has produced a fine run of form, scoring seven goals in his last six appearances across competitions.
The 25-year-old's hot streak includes a stunning four-goal salvo against Watford in Manchester City's thumping 5-1 Premier League win.
However, that still may not be enough to convince the player to stay at the Etihad. Now De Bruyne has weighed in on the issue by reflecting on their relationship and Jesus' importance to City. Speaking at a press conference, the Belgian said:
"Since he came here, I’ve had a good relationship with him; I think we’ve found each other lots of times. He plays with so much energy; he’s always there; he helps the team out. I have never any doubts on his quality, and he’s still so young. I hope he can play many times with me because I think he makes this team better."
De Bruyne's relationship with Jesus came to light when he allowed the Brazilian to take a penalty during the Watford clash so that he could complete his hat-trick.
When asked about that decision, De Bruyne said:
"I don’t care in that moment; in that moment I thought it was the right decision for him to take, so I told Gabi, ‘you can take it, I have full confidence in you.' For him, it’s important; for me I don’t care if I score that penalty; that’s a goal or whatever, but it doesn’t get me further in what I want to achieve."
Manchester City face Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu in the UEFA Champions League semifinal second leg on Wednesday.
Manchester City set asking price for Arsenal target Gabriel Jesus
Manchester City value Jesus at £40 million, the price Arsenal will have to fork out to bring him to the Emirates.
The Gunners could be set to lose Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah in the summer on free transfers. They already had Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang join Barcelona in January.
City manager Pep Guardiola is apparently ready to let the player leave this summer. Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta a huge admirer of Jesus since his days as Guardiola's assistant at City.
