Why Arsenal fans may have to wait for Gabriel Martinelli's exit announcement
Arsenal agreed three key sales on Sunday and deadline day has seen two of those, Gabriel Jesus and Fábio Vieira, made official, but fans are left waiting for the biggest name's departure to be announced.
Gabriel Martinelli is set to join Al Hilal after the Saudi Pro League agreed a deal to bring him from the Emirates Stadium, but the 21-time champions are in no rush to announce his signing.
While the Premier League and most of Europe's leagues see their respective transfer windows slam shut today, Al Hilal and their fellow Saudi clubs have until 6 September to complete their business, giving them an extra five days to play with before confirming Martinelli's arrival.
Martinelli's impending departure is expected to hurt plenty of Arsenal fans and waiting up to another five days may cut even deeper or give the reality of losing the Brazilian time to set in. Regardless, Al Hilal do not need to rush to announce his signing.
The winger is set to join the Saudi side for a reported €70million fixed fee, representing a record sale for the Gunners, smashing the €38m they received for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain upon his move to Liverpool in 2017.
Arsenal fans may also be eagerly waiting for Martinelli's departure to be announced as it could signal a potential incoming on the attacking front. The club have prioritised signing a forward throughout the window, but no one has joined yet. Julián Alvarez, Vinícius Júnior and Malick Fofana have been among the targets, but no move has materialised.
Al Hilal have plenty of time to announce Martinelli's arrival, but the Gunners are running out of it in their pursuit of an attacker. There is just a matter of hours to go in the window and there are no genuine links between the North Londoners and forward players.
The latest update saw Premier League rivals Sunderland strike a deal for Arsenal target Fofana, who is set to join the Stadium of Light outfit despite a late hijack from Crystal Palace. Mikel Arteta's side were not willing to meet the valuation set by Lyon, seemingly ending negotiations.
The Gunners fanbase now face an anxious wait to see if their beloved club can bring a new name in before the 11pm deadline. If they don't, Martinelli's exit announcement will surely hurt even more knowing that he hasn't been replaced. It's just a matter of time for Arsenal now.
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