Arsenal close to £50m Martinelli sale to Al-Hilal that would break their transfer record

Arsenal are on the verge of selling Gabriel Martinelli to Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal in a deal worth approximately £50 million, which would represent the highest fee the Gunners have ever received for a player.

The 25-year-old Brazilian winger was notably absent from Mikel Arteta’s 18-man squad for Arsenal’s Premier League opening-day victory over Coventry at the Emirates Stadium, fuelling speculation over his future. Talks between the two clubs have been progressing over recent days, with reports indicating an agreement is close.

Should the deal be confirmed, it would eclipse the £35 million Arsenal received from Liverpool for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain back in 2017 — a record that has stood for eight years. Martinelli departs having spent seven years at the club after joining from Brazilian side Ituano, making 278 appearances and scoring 62 goals, including a contribution to Arsenal’s Premier League title triumph last season.

The forward had entered the final year of his contract, with an option for a further season available to the club. Galatasaray had shown early interest but withdrew from the race, leaving Al-Hilal to move decisively.

Martinelli becomes the latest senior player to leave Arsenal this summer. Leandro Trossard has joined Besiktas, while Jakub Kiwior and Christian Norgaard have also departed. The club has moved to reinforce their attack with the £34 million signing of Greek international Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge, who has made an immediate impression.

Arteta was effusive in his praise of Tzolis after the Coventry win: “I love that a player who has only been with us a few weeks gets this kind of energy whenever he’s on the ball. The way he has performed the last few games has been phenomenal — so direct, constantly incisive and wants to make things happen. He has an incredible variety of actions in the last 30 metres. I’m really impressed with him.”

When asked about reported interest in Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez, Arteta played down the prospect of further additions: “I’m really happy with the squad that we have, and the main focus is to improve the players we already have, as we already have a lot of good things.”