Gabriel Jesus reveals how Guardiola convinced him to choose Man City over Barcelona and Man Utd

The Brazilian forward also attracted interest from Real Madrid and Juventus while with Palmeiras, but ultimately opted for a switch to the Etihad

Gabriel Jesus has revealed how Pep Guardiola played a key role in his decision to join over , or .

The Brazilian forward’s obvious potential had been noted by leading sides across Europe following his emergence at Palmeiras.

Jesus 7/1 to be PL top scorer

Having starred for club and country, an exciting talent was presented with several options to consider as he contemplated his next move.

In the end, City won out as they put a £27 million deal in place, with Jesus arriving at the Etihad Stadium in January 2017 to link up with Guardiola and embark on a productive opening to his time in .

The 20-year-old told FourFourTwo on how he came to that decision: “Guardiola called me up and said I would be a very important part of his project.

“This obviously made me feel wanted and was a big factor in helping me pick City as my next club.

“There had been a lot of clubs interested in signing me at the time, but the one I felt most confident in was City.”

Jesus completed his switch to City after helping to gold medal glory at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

A deal was officially pushed through on January 19, with Guardiola calling his latest addition into training within minutes of his arrival in England.

“When I landed in Manchester, I came straight to the training ground – I didn’t even go to my hotel,” Jesus added.

“He wanted me there. It was 6pm and training had been in the morning, but Pep waited for me to arrive. I realised he’s a different kind of manager.”

Guardiola’s hard work in getting a deal done and helping Jesus to settle in new surroundings has been handsomely rewarded, with his Samba star having contributed 15 goals in just 25 appearances for City to date.