Gabriel Martinelli is set to join Al Hilal from Arsenal with the clubs close to finalising a €70million (£60m) transfer agreement.A four-year contract has been proposed by the Saudi Pro League club and while personal terms for the Brazil international have not yet been agreed, they are not anticipated to be an issue.Martinelli is set to travel for the move early next week in a deal that, when finalised, will become Arsenal’s record sale. The existing record has been set since 2017, when Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain joined Liverpool for £35m.Al Hilal’s fee for 25-year-old Martinelli is guaranteed and does not include add-ons.His departure is set to come alongside that of another Brazilian forward with Gabriel Jesus closing in on a move to Barcelona, with advanced talks over a €10m (£8.5m; $11.6m) deal.
The Athletic reported on August 23 that Al Hilal were pursuing a deal to sign Martinelli, with the Saudi club in talks with the 25-year-old’s camp over a potential move.Martinelli had been left out of the matchday squad for their opening two games of the season – the 3-0 wins over Manchester City in the Community Shield and Coventry City in the Premier League.The Athletic reported on August 12 that Arsenal had received a €45million (£38.4m; $51.8m) offer from Galatasaray for Martinelli but the his camp later informed the Premier League club that he was not interested in the proposed move.Martinelli is set to be the Saudi Pro League club’s latest forward addition of the summer, after Crysencio Summerville joined from West Ham United in July. The club announced on Sunday forward Darwin Nunez had joined Al-Diriyah on loan, while they are also pursuing Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins.Martinelli is under contract with Arsenal until 2027, with the club holding an option to extend by a further 12 months.Arteta’s side have signed winger Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge this summer, while Leandro Trossard joined Besiktas. The north London club also registered an interest in Vinicius Junior, before the Brazil international signed a new long-term contract with Real Madrid.Martinelli made 53 appearances for Arsenal last season as they won a first Premier League title since 2003-04 and reached the Champions League final.Martinelli joined Arsenal from Brazilian side Ituano in 2019 and has made 278 first-team appearances, scoring 62 goals.
