Martinelli Leaves Arsenal For Al-Hilal In £60m Deal

Gabriel Martinelli has left Arsenal to join Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal in a £60 million deal, ending his seven-year spell with the Gunners.

The 25-year-old Brazil international has signed a four-year contract with the Saudi club, who are currently joint-top of the league alongside Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr. Arsenal will receive a guaranteed £60m, with the agreement also including a sell-on fee.

Martinelli joined Arsenal from Brazilian club Ituano in 2019 and went on to become a key figure in the attack. He made 53 appearances in all competitions last season, scoring 11 goals as Arsenal won the Premier League title for the first time since 2004.

However, the forward had 12 months left on his contract and manager Mikel Arteta told him he was not part of his plans for the new season. Martinelli was left out of Arsenal’s first two matchday squads, making his departure increasingly likely.

Al-Hilal have offered Martinelli a significant increase on his reported £180,000-a-week Arsenal salary. He will join fellow former Premier League players Ollie Watkins and Crysencio Summerville at the Saudi club.

Watkins moved from Aston Villa for £51m, while Summerville joined from West Ham after their relegation. Al-Hilal are managed by former Inter Milan boss Simone Inzaghi.

Martinelli marked his arrival with a message to the club’s supporters, saying: “Proud to be blue, proud to be Al-Hilal,” in an unveiling video shared on the club’s official Instagram page.