Report: Barcelona made an attempt to sign Gabriel Jesus in 2016 using Neymar’s help | OneFootball

Barcelona have made a sensational last-minute coup in the transfer market by signing Gabriel Jesus for just €10 million.

The Brazilian international joins on a permanent deal and a two-year contract to add more depth to the Barcelona frontline and act as the missing number nine for the club.

However, this wasn’t the first time Barcelona had targeted Gabriel, as the former Palmeiras forward was a big target for the club way back in 2016, when he was still playing in Brazil.

How Barcelona used Neymar to approach Gabriel

As reported by MARCA, Barcelona first identified Gabriel while he was starring for Palmeiras, with then-sporting director Robert Fernandez travelling to Brazil to watch him in person.

The problem was that Barcelona were far from the only European club chasing his signature, and the youngster was undecided over his next destination.

Neymar tried to convince Gabriel to join Barcelona. (Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)

In an attempt to gain an edge, Barcelona played the Neymar card, with the two Brazilians together in the national team preparing for the Rio Olympics.

During that camp, Neymar, already a Barcelona player at the time, spoke to Gabriel in a bid to convince him to move to Camp Nou. The striker himself later recalled the conversation in an interview.

“It was a difficult time when I had to choose a team. Neymar knows what it’s like to be young and that several European clubs want you.

“He told me about what Barcelona was like, about the city. He told me that the weather is similar to that of Brazil,” Gabriel told The Sun.

Pep Guardiola made the intervention

Guardiola prevented Gabriel from joining Barcelona in 2016. (Photo by Lewis Storey/Getty Images)

Despite Neymar’s efforts, Gabriel ultimately opted for a different path, with Manchester City winning the race for his signature.

The deciding factor was a phone call from Pep Guardiola, which convinced the forward that his future lay in England rather than Catalonia.

“It made me doubt because Barça is also a great club, but I realised that I could go to another great one with more chances of playing. I saw that City was really interested in me after talking to Pep on the phone,” Gabriel added.

That brought an end to Barcelona’s pursuit at the time, with Gabriel going on to enjoy successful spells at City and later Arsenal.

Now, though, a decade on, the Brazilian is finally on the verge of completing a move to Camp Nou.