Arsenal, Al-Hilal Near Deal for Gabriel Martinelli

Al-Hilal appears to be closing in on one of the marquee transfer stories of the Saudi Pro League's summer window, with reports indicating that the Riyadh giants have reached a club-to-club agreement with Arsenal over the transfer of Brazilian winger Gabriel Martinelli. According to multiple transfer reporters, the two clubs have settled on a fee in the region of £50 million to £55 million, with Al-Hilal now working to finalise personal terms with the player and his representatives.

The development would represent a significant coup for Al-Hilal, which has been steadily building one of the most star-studded squads in Saudi football as part of the league's broader strategy to attract elite international talent. Should the move be completed, Martinelli would join as the club's second marquee signing of the current transfer window, following the earlier arrival of Crysencio Summerville from West Ham United.

A Deal Years in the Making

Interest from Saudi Arabia in Martinelli is not entirely new. The 25-year-old reportedly received an approach from a Saudi club last summer as well, though no move materialised at that time. This time around, according to people familiar with the discussions, Martinelli has become considerably more receptive to a switch to the Middle East, a shift in stance that has helped accelerate talks between the two clubs in recent days.

Sources close to the negotiations indicate there have been no significant obstacles on the fee itself, with Arsenal understood to have accepted an offer in the £50 million range. Reports also suggest a sell-on clause worth roughly 20 percent of any future profit has been built into the structure of the deal, a mechanism increasingly common in high-value transfers involving clubs outside Europe's traditional financial powerhouses.

Falling Out of Favour at the Emirates

Martinelli's expected departure comes amid a broader shift in his role under Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta. The Brazilian, who has been with the club since 2019 and was part of the squad that won the Premier League title last season, has reportedly fallen out of the manager's immediate plans for the upcoming campaign. He was notably left out of the matchday squad for Arsenal's Community Shield victory as well as the club's opening Premier League fixture of the new season against Coventry City.

According to reports, Arsenal's hierarchy has already made clear to Martinelli that the club intends to move him on, partly to free up wage capacity and squad space to pursue further attacking reinforcements before the transfer window closes on September 1. Chief among those targets is understood to be Atletico Madrid striker Julian Alvarez, with funds generated from Martinelli's sale seen as a potentially crucial piece in financing a deal of that magnitude.

Notably, Turkish side Galatasaray had earlier lodged a formal approach for Martinelli worth around £38.4 million, which was turned down, underscoring that Arsenal held out for a higher valuation before ultimately reaching an agreement with Al-Hilal.

A Record Sale in the Making

If completed at the reported fee, the transfer would mark the most lucrative outgoing sale in Arsenal's history, surpassing the £35 million banked from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's move to Liverpool back in 2017. That milestone carries symbolic weight for a club that has often faced criticism in recent years over its ability to command significant fees for departing players, particularly when compared to rivals across the Premier League's top tier.

Martinelli leaves Arsenal having made 278 appearances for the club across all competitions, establishing himself as a regular fixture in the side's attack during a period that included the club's return to genuine title contention. His move would also continue a broader trend of established Premier League talents opting to join Saudi Pro League clubs, as the Gulf nation continues investing heavily in attracting recognisable international names to raise the profile and competitiveness of its domestic league.

With personal terms reportedly the final piece of the puzzle, both clubs appear to be working toward completing the transfer before the European window shuts at the start of September, setting the stage for Martinelli's next chapter in Saudi Arabian football.