Gabriel Jesus has been linked with Arsenal in the buildup to Manchester City’s Champions League semi-final with Real Madrid.
Jesus got the nod against Watford on Saturday and smashed in four goals in a 5-1 victory, offering Pep Guardiola a reminder of his quality.
Former City defender Micah Richards is now a pundit for BBC Sport and does not want his old club to sell Jesus in the summer.
“Like Gabriel Jesus, Raheem Sterling is out of contract in 2023 and, until either of them signs an extension, they are going to be linked with other clubs,” he said.
“Arsenal are supposedly in for Jesus and I read stories last week about Sterling going to AC Milan, but for me it’s simple – City has to try to keep them both if they can.
“Both of them are versatile and hard-working and can play on both wings or down the middle. They also don’t just know how to play in Pep Guardiola’s system, they excel at it.
“Game-time might be an issue in persuading Jesus to stay but I don’t think it’s the case that Sterling has slipped down the pecking order in recent months.”
If City signs Erling Haaland during the summer transfer window, it is hard to see how Jesus would get the game time he needs to be satisfied.
But it depends if the £27 million (Sky Sports) man wants to be a rotational player at a club that is in contention to win everything there is to win in club football.
Or whether he wants to have more chance of leading the line for a club further back in its development, which is the situation at Arsenal right now.
