Arsenal reach agreement with Al Hilal for Martinelli transfer in excess of £50m

The proposed transfer of Gabriel Martinelli to Saudi Pro League club Al Hilal is moving closer to completion, with Arsenal set to surpass their previous record departure fee. Mikel Arteta appears to have approved what would become the north London club’s most lucrative outgoing transfer in their history. The two sides have reached a provisional agreement regarding the transfer fee, though discussions about personal terms between the player and the buying club remain unfinished. Arsenal are working hard to persuade the Brazilian international to proceed with the move. Martinelli had been considering his options in recent weeks after turning down an approach from Galatasaray, and now appears destined for a switch to the Middle East. The north London club have historically found it difficult to generate substantial fees when selling players, but that looks set to change as Martinelli is anticipated to leave for an amount exceeding £50million. This would surpass the previous benchmark of £35million established when Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain moved to Liverpool almost ten years ago. The forward has been omitted from Arsenal’s matchday squads for their opening two fixtures of the campaign. While former striker Ian Wright suggested he received no communication about Martinelli’s situation, sources close to the club indicate Arteta did communicate with the player regarding his exclusion before the match against Coventry on Friday evening. The signing of Vinicius Junior, even following the arrival of Christos Tzolis, created an awkward scenario for Martinelli, as he risked becoming the third-choice option on the wing even after Leandro Trossard departed for Besiktas. Turkish outfit Galatasaray submitted a bid that Arsenal were prepared to accept, but the player had no appetite for that particular transfer. Nevertheless, he would be willing to join former Wolves players Ruben Neves and Crysensio Summerville at Al Hilal, who also remain interested in Pedro Neto but regard Martinelli as their primary objective. Despite potentially receiving approximately £50million from the sale, Arsenal cannot commit to signing a replacement during this transfer window, particularly given that his childhood club Ituano will receive a percentage of any profit made from the transaction. Eberechi Eze could therefore see increased opportunities on the left flank, with the arrivals of Bruno Guimaraes and Myles Lewis-Skelly’s repositioning to central midfield raising competition for places in those areas. Lewis-Skelly had been rumoured to be considering a surprising departure but appears set to remain in north London. Outgoings appear to be the main focus for the rest of the transfer window, with Reiss Nelson, Fabio Vieira and Ethan Nwaneri all potentially departing. A temporary spell away is the favoured option for the latter, with multiple Premier League clubs expressing interest alongside Italian side AC Milan and German club RB Leipzig.