Just days before the transfer window slams shut, Arsenal find themselves on the verge of one of the most surprising sales in recent memory. Gabriel Martinelli—the Brazilian who arrived as a raw teenager from the Brazilian third division and grew into a Premier League champion—is being ushered toward the exit door. And Saudi Arabian giants Al-Hilal are waiting to catch him.
Here’s everything you need to know about the shock transfer that has Arsenal fans divided.
The Deal: What’s on the Table?
The numbers are significant. Al-Hilal and Arsenal have reached a club-to-club agreement over a transfer fee in the region of £50 million to £55 million. Some reports suggest the total package could reach €60 million (£60m). If completed, it would represent a record sale for Arsenal, a club that has often been criticised for their selling power in recent years.
The wage package on offer is where things get truly eye-watering. Al-Hilal are prepared to pay Martinelli a salary of over $23 million (€20 million) per year plus bonuses**. Other sources put the figure at **£12 million ($16.4 million) per year—almost double his current £180,000-per-week Arsenal deal.
But here’s the kicker: Saudi Arabia has no income tax. While Arsenal’s top earners like Bukayo Saka give up around 47% of their salary to HMRC, Martinelli would take home almost every penny. A four-year contract could see him earn $65.6 million before even turning 30.
Why Are Arsenal Selling?
The short answer: Mikel Arteta has made it clear Martinelli is not in his plans.
The longer answer is more complicated. Martinelli made 53 appearances last season as Arsenal won their first Premier League title since 2003-04. But he started only 11 league games and scored just one Premier League goal.
Arteta’s message has been delivered with brutal clarity. Martinelli was left out of the Community Shield squad and omitted from the matchday squad for Arsenal’s Premier League opener against Coventry. He has not played a competitive minute this season despite continuing to train with the first team.
“The way Martinelli is being treated at the moment, it really makes me feel uncomfortable,” Arsenal legend Ian Wright told Sky Sports. “I know they might want him out… But there’s ways of doing that and it should suit him as well, how he wants to leave.”
The club’s position is clear: with Christos Tzolis arriving from Club Brugge and Leandro Trossard already sold to Besiktas, Arsenal are reshaping their attack. The funds from Martinelli’s sale could be reinvested in a superstar attacker, with Atlético Madrid’s Julián Álvarez a potential option.
Martinelli’s Dilemma: Stay or Go?
The player himself faces the toughest decision. He has been at Arsenal since 2019, making 278 first-team appearances and scoring 62 goals. He has won a Premier League title and reached a Champions League final. He is a Brazil international with 12 caps.
Yet he has been frozen out. And the offers on the table are life-changing.
Martinelli previously rejected a €45m move to Galatasaray and had been determined to remain in Europe. But Al-Hilal’s financial firepower and Arteta’s cold shoulder have shifted his thinking. Reports indicate he is now open to discussing a move to Saudi Arabia—though he is “still unconvinced” and has not yet agreed personal terms.
The choice is stark: stay and fight for his place in a squad where the manager has already moved on, or move to Saudi Arabia and secure generational wealth.
Al-Hilal’s Ambition
This is not a random punt for Al-Hilal. The Saudi club are assembling a squad of Premier League talent. Earlier in the window, they signed Crysencio Summerville from West Ham for £60m. They are also pursuing Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins, who was left out of Villa’s opening weekend squad.
Martinelli would join a project that has already attracted some of the biggest names in world football. And with the Saudi Pro League’s financial muscle showing no signs of weakening, this could be just the beginning.
What This Means for Arsenal
If the deal goes through, Arsenal would:
Secure a record sale of £50m-£55m
Free up significant wages (Martinelli’s £180,000 per week)
Generate almost pure profit—they signed him from Ituano for around $8m in 2019
Fund a move for a new attacker, with Julián Álvarez a potential target
But they would also lose a player who, at 25, still has his best years ahead of him. A player who bled for the badge. A player who, just two seasons ago, looked like a future cornerstone of the club.
This is a transfer
that makes financial sense but emotional nonsense. The numbers add up—£55m for a player with one year left on his contract and 11 league starts last season is good business. But Martinelli represents something more than just a balance sheet entry. He was the embodiment of Arsenal’s rebirth under Arteta: young, hungry, and full of promise.
His departure—if it happens—will mark the end of an era. And for many Arsenal fans, it will feel less like a sale and more like a surrender.
What do you think? Should Arsenal cash in on Martinelli, or is Arteta making a huge mistake? And would you take the Saudi money if you were in Martinelli’s shoes?
