Gabriel Martinelli's Arsenal Career Is Over In All But Paperwork

Gabriel Martinelli's exit from Arsenal has entered its final stages, with his agent back in direct contact with Al Hilal to close personal terms after the two clubs verbally agreed a package worth more than €65 million, according to CaughtOffside. Arsenal are already prepared to authorise the Brazilian winger to undergo a medical once the player-side agreement is finalised.

ESPN's sources in Brazil describe Al Hilal as closing in on a deal worth up to €65 million ($76m) for the 25-year-old, corroborating the scale of the fee reported in England ESPN FC reports. What remains is not the club-to-club number but whether Martinelli and his representatives can agree wages and terms with the Saudi Pro League side quickly enough to get a deal over the line before the window shuts.

The Deal: Inside the €65m Package and Why Personal Terms Are the Final Hurdle

A Verbal Agreement Above €65m

Fabrizio Romano's update, carried by CaughtOffside, confirms that Martinelli's agents are once again in direct talks with Al Hilal to seal personal terms, with Arsenal ready to green-light a medical the moment that is done. Romano posted on social media that the package had been "verbally agreed" above the €65 million mark, language that signals the structure is settled even if the paperwork is not.

A separate CaughtOffside piece, published two days later, reported the deal was at its "last stages," with Martinelli having given his own green light to the move and a medical now being booked CaughtOffside's Romano update states. That report pegged the fee at around €65m, or roughly £55.7m.

Reconciling the Numbers: €65m vs £49m Plus Add-Ons

Not every outlet has quoted an identical figure, but the discrepancy is easily explained rather than contradictory. talkSPORT's earlier breakdown put the agreement in principle at around £49 million plus £7 million in add-ons, a structure that produces a headline base fee below the €65m figure others are using as reported by CaughtOffside.

• talkSPORT's figure: £49m guaranteed plus £7m in add-ons, roughly £56m in total
• Romano/CaughtOffside figure: a package "over €65m" verbally agreed, around £55.7m
• ESPN's figure: up to €65m ($76m)

Converted and rounded, these numbers sit close enough together to reflect the same deal viewed through a base-fee lens versus a total-package lens including bonuses, rather than three separate reports pulling in different directions. Either way, a fee north of €65m would eclipse anything Arsenal have previously banked for an outgoing player, making Martinelli's sale a club-record transaction regardless of which precise breakdown proves accurate.

From Emirates Mainstay to Matchday Afterthought: How Martinelli Fell Down Arteta's Pecking Order

The Breakout Years That Made Him Undroppable

It is worth remembering how central Martinelli once was. Since arriving from Ituano in 2019, he grew into one of Arteta's most trusted attackers through the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons, a genuine Emirates Stadium fan favourite whose left-wing pace and directness were central to Arsenal's title challenges. As recently as 2023 he was an automatic pick.

Left Out of the Squad Entirely

That status has since collapsed. The Sun's reporting, referenced within CaughtOffside's coverage, notes that Martinelli has been left out of Arsenal's opening matchday squads this season entirely, not merely benched but omitted altogether, effectively confirming the club's side of the decision was made long before any Saudi fee was agreed CaughtOffside's report notes.

CaughtOffside's own analysis frames the move as a natural conclusion rather than a shock: Arteta has reshaped his frontline with new competition arriving in attack, and keeping a player who cannot guarantee himself regular football serves nobody, least of all Martinelli's own career trajectory at 25 according to CaughtOffside. That a player who could still command regular Champions League football is instead willing to move to the Saudi Pro League is itself a hard data point on how normalised that route has become, and how completely he has fallen out of Arsenal's plans.

The Bigger Picture: Barcola, Gabriel Jesus, and Arsenal's Attacking Reshuffle

Barcola Pursuit Stalls on PSG's £145m Valuation

Martinelli's departure cannot be read in isolation from Arsenal's wider attacking business this summer. The club have been monitoring Bradley Barcola as a potential reinforcement, but that interest has hit a serious financial obstacle, with Paris Saint-Germain demanding around £145 million for the France international CaughtOffside reports. That valuation, coming so soon after Martinelli's exit began to crystallise, illustrates the scale of funds Arsenal would need to redirect if they want to land a genuine upgrade rather than simply banking the proceeds.

Gabriel Jesus Eyed as Alvarez Replacement at Atletico

At the same time, Gabriel Jesus is reportedly among the names Atletico Madrid are considering to replace Julian Alvarez, should the Argentine leave late in the window CaughtOffside reports from Spain. Arsenal are said to be keeping a close eye on the Alvarez situation themselves, underlining that this is not just about offloading Martinelli but a broader recalibration of the entire forward line under Arteta.

Taken together, the picture is one of ruthless squad triage rather than a single transfer. Martinelli's sale, funded by Al Hilal's continued willingness to pay well above market rate for peak-age Premier League talent, gives Arsenal both the financial headroom and the tactical justification to pursue further changes up front, whether that means reviving the Barcola interest at a lower valuation or redeploying funds elsewhere in the market.

What Happens Next

The immediate next step is procedural but decisive: Martinelli's agents need to close personal terms with Al Hilal, at which point Arsenal have already indicated they will sanction a medical. Given that a club-to-club framework has been verbally agreed and the player has reportedly given his own approval to the move, there is little reason to expect a lengthy delay once terms are settled.

For Arsenal, the sale's real significance will be judged by what comes next in the market. A fee above €65m, whichever precise breakdown proves correct, gives Arteta substantial resources to work with, but as CaughtOffside's own analysis puts it, selling Martinelli "only makes sense if Arsenal use the money wisely" per CaughtOffside. Whether that means reopening talks for Barcola at a reduced fee, pursuing Alvarez should Atletico's move for Jesus free him up, or a different target entirely, Arsenal's attacking rebuild is clearly still in motion.