Martinelli edges closer to Arsenal exit as Al-Hilal open talks for Brazil winger

Gabriel Martinelli’s long farewell at the Emirates has taken another decisive turn, with Saudi Arabian champions Al-Hilal opening direct talks with Arsenal over the Brazil winger.

The north London club have been sounded out over a deal for the 25-year-old, whose current contract runs down to the final 12 months. Arsenal have already made clear the former Ituano forward is not part of Mikel Arteta’s plans for the season ahead, and the player has effectively been given the green light to find himself a fresh challenge before the window closes.

Why Martinelli is on the move

Turkish giants Galatasaray had earlier registered an interest and pushed a bid worth in the region of €45m, a figure that converts to roughly £38.5m. Yet Martinelli was understood to be reluctant to up sticks for Istanbul, leaving that avenue to stall. Saudi interest could now shift the needle, with Al-Hilal said to have signalled their willingness to go comfortably above the figure Galatasaray tabled.

The Brazilian arrived in England in 2019 and has spent the best part of seven years at the club, though his influence has ebbed since the heights of his early Emirates years. He made 53 appearances across the 2025-26 campaign and weighed in with 11 goals as Arsenal took the title, yet he has increasingly slipped towards the periphery of Arteta’s thinking.

That much was evident on the opening weekend, when Martinelli was omitted from the squad entirely for Friday’s 3-0 win over Coventry. The call did not sit well with former Arsenal forward Ian Wright, who used a Sky Sports appearance to criticise both the decision and the manner in which the club has handled the situation. While accepting that the time may have come for Martinelli to move on, Wright argued the process should be conducted respectfully and in line with the player’s own wishes about how he departs.

The private handover already underway

Reports suggest Arteta has gone through his reasoning with Martinelli face to face, explaining the decision to leave him out as the pair steer what amounts to a managed parting of the ways. For a player who gave the Gunners some of their most electric moments during the title chase, it is an unglamorous end, but the writing has been on the wall for some time.

Al-Hilal are juggling a couple of angles at once, with their interest in Martinelli running in parallel with a separate pursuit of Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins. The England striker sat out Villa’s heavy defeat to Brighton on the opening weekend, and Unai Emery stopped short of promising his future at Villa Park would run beyond this window.

What comes next

Because the Saudi transfer window stays open later than its European equivalents, Al-Hilal retain time to strike while Arsenal still mull their options. For Mikel Arteta’s side, cash in on a player whose stock has dipped but who remains a proven contributor at the highest level would provide a clean way to recoup funds and trim the wage bill as the new campaign gathers pace.

Whether Martinelli’s seven-year association with the Gunners concludes with a swift switch to the Pro League, or whether, as with so many sagas this summer, the talking ends up outlasting the doing, should become clear in the coming days.