Arsenal sell Martinelli and Jesus as Bartishvili signing caps frantic window finale

Arsenal are closing out the summer transfer window with a flurry of activity, agreeing the sales of Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus and Fabio Vieira while simultaneously completing the signing of young Georgian winger Andria Bartishvili for £4m ahead of Tuesday’s deadline.

Jesus, 29, is set for a move to Barcelona for £8.4m, with the Spanish champions securing the Brazilian forward in the final year of his contract. The striker arrived from Manchester City in 2022 and was instrumental in Arsenal’s initial title challenge under Mikel Arteta, but his influence gradually diminished — partly through injury — and he now finds himself behind Viktor Gyokeres and Kai Havertz in the attacking hierarchy.

Martinelli, who formed part of the front three alongside Jesus and Bukayo Saka during Arsenal’s first serious Premier League title push, is closing in on a £60m move to Saudi Arabia. Having arrived as a relative unknown, the fee represents a significant profit for the club. Arteta had publicly insisted as recently as this week that both Brazilian forwards remained in his plans, making their departures all the more striking.

Completing the trio of exits is Fabio Vieira, the Portuguese midfielder signed in 2022 who managed just five league starts across his time at the Emirates. Vieira spent last season on loan at Hamburg and is now set to make that arrangement permanent, joining the Bundesliga side on a full transfer.

The departures reflect the scale of Arsenal’s summer recruitment. The Premier League champions opened their season with a commanding win over Coventry City at the Emirates, with new arrival Christos Tzolis — signed from Club Brugge — impressing on the left wing. Arteta has publicly acknowledged the difficulty of managing such a large senior squad, calling on football authorities to expand matchday bench sizes.

Ezri Konsa, signed from Aston Villa, was not registered in time for the Coventry fixture but could make his debut in the coming days. Bruno Guimaraes also missed the opener through injury.

Even after the departures of Martinelli and Jesus, Arteta retains considerable depth in the final third, with Gyokeres, Havertz, Saka, Tzolis, Eberechi Eze, Noni Madueke, Martin Odegaard and Ethan Nwaneri all available as attacking options. The addition of Bartishvili adds further competition to that group as the window slams shut.