Arsenal FC Agree Gabriel Martinelli Sale
Traveloasisspot.com – The Gunners have confirmed a complete deal sending their Brazilian winger to Saudi Arabian champions Al-Hilal for £60 million — the highest fee ever received by the north London club. The transfer eclipses the £35 million Liverpool paid for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in 2017 and brings a swift conclusion to a chapter that began nearly seven years ago. The player is expected to travel to Saudi Arabia within two days to complete a medical and sign his new contract.
Seven Years at the Emirates
Recruited from Internacional in the summer of 2019 during Unai Emery’s final season, the 18-year-old arrived with enormous expectations attached. Five months later Mikel Arteta took charge, and the winger became a fixture in the squad that challenged for Premier League honours over three consecutive campaigns before finally winning the title in May of last season. At 24, he has spent the bulk of his professional career at a single club — a rarity in modern football — and has made more than two hundred appearances for the side.
His departure marks the end of an era for supporters who watched him develop from a promising academy graduate into one of the league’s most consistent wingers. The £60 million windfall validates the long-term investment in his development: signed for a fraction of his eventual sale price, his tenure produced a return that dwarfs most player transactions in the club’s history.
Deadline-Day Context
The deal is not an isolated transaction. Two further departures are understood to be finalised before Tuesday night’s transfer deadline: Gabriel Jesus, who has featured intermittently since returning from injury, is set to complete a move to Barcelona, while Fabio Vieira, the young midfielder struggling for regular minutes, is expected to join Hamburg. Together, the three exits represent a significant reshaping of squad depth in the final hours of the window.
For Arteta, losing three players simultaneously demands careful planning. The manager must identify replacements or promote academy talent to maintain the depth required for a campaign spanning the Premier League, Champions League, and domestic cups. The substantial reinvestment capital from the winger’s sale is moderated, however, by the lower fees attached to the other two departures.
Addressing the emotional weight of discussing futures with players who have become part of the club’s identity, Arteta offered the following remarks:
“There are those conversations and those conversations go both ways. I’m very satisfied with how these conversations went because I know what is in each other’s hearts and the words that come through in that conversation made me really happy. But it’s inevitable that at some point you need to have certain discussions and say certain things that sometimes are tough. I think everybody knows and recognises how much we love Gabi. Whatever the outcome is, it will be because everybody agrees to that.”
The language underscores a recurring theme in Arteta’s tenure: the tension between sporting ambition and personal loyalty. Players who contributed to a title-winning season are asked whether their role in the next chapter aligns with their own ambitions. The manager’s framing positions these discussions not as dismissals but as mutual negotiations where both club and player must find common ground.
The Saudi Arabian football market’s aggressive expansion into European talent continues, and Al-Hilal’s pursuit fits a pattern of high-profile signings reshaping the competitive landscape of the Saudi Pro League. A £60 million outlay for a 24-year-old winger signals the depth of financial resources now available to Gulf-based clubs and sets a new benchmark for what top-six European sides can command for their best assets.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much did Al-Hilal pay for the winger? £60 million, making it the largest fee ever received by the club for a player.
When will the medical take place? The player is expected to travel to Saudi Arabia within two days of the announcement to complete his medical examination and sign his new contract.
Are other transfers being finalised simultaneously? Yes. Gabriel Jesus is set to move to Barcelona and Fabio Vieira to Hamburg, all before the Tuesday-night deadline.
How long did the player spend at the club? Nearly seven years, arriving in the summer of 2019 at age 18 and departing at 24 after more than two hundred appearances.
