By Adegboyega Adeleye
Gabriel Martinelli has completed his move from Arsenal to Saudi Pro League club Al Hilal in a £60 million deal, bringing an end to his seven-year spell with the Gunners.
According to Sky Sports, the deal comprises a fixed fee and a sell-on clause and eclipses Arsenal’s previous record sale, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s £40 million move to Liverpool in 2017.
Martinelli, who joined Arsenal from Brazilian side Ituano as an 18-year-old, leaves the club as the most expensive player sold in its history. Sky Sports also reports that because Arsenal signed him as a teenager, the £60 million fee represents pure profit on the club’s accounting books.
The Brazil international had attracted interest from Galatasaray, with the Turkish club offering around £38.9 million, but Martinelli was unwilling to move to Turkey at this stage of his career.
