£60m Arsenal sale confirmed as Premier League winner completes Al-Hilal move
Gabriel Martinelli has completed his permanent move from Arsenal to Al-Hilal in a club-record sale worth €70 million (£60m).
Arsenal confirmed the Brazilian’s departure on Thursday, bringing his seven-year spell in north London to an end after 278 first-team appearances.
The £60m fee is guaranteed without performance-related add-ons, while Arsenal have also secured a sell-on clause as part of the agreement.
Martinelli consequently becomes the most expensive sale in Arsenal’s history, comfortably surpassing the £35m received from Liverpool for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in 2017.
The deal represents a substantial return on a player Arsenal signed from Brazilian side Ituano for around £6m as an 18-year-old in July 2019.
Martinelli quickly established himself in the first team and leaves with 62 goals from his 278 appearances across all competitions.
His final season proved particularly significant as he made 53 appearances while helping Arsenal win their first Premier League title since 2003/04 and reach the Champions League final.
The 25-year-old had entered the final year of his contract this summer, although Arsenal retained an option to extend the agreement until 2028.
Martinelli has signed a four-year contract running until 2030 and will wear the No.7 shirt at his new club.
The transfer had appeared increasingly likely after Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta left the winger out of all three of the club’s opening matchday squads this season.
He missed the 3-0 Community Shield victory over Manchester City before sitting out Premier League wins against Coventry City and Aston Villa.
Arsenal had already reshaped their options on the left by signing Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge, while Leandro Trossard also departed for Besiktas this summer.
Martinelli’s exit is part of a wider overhaul of the attack, with Gabriel Jesus joining Barcelona and Reiss Nelson leaving following the termination of his contract.
Al-Hilal have meanwhile recruited heavily from the Premier League, with Martinelli following Crysencio Summerville and Ollie Watkins to Saudi Arabia.
The move closes a memorable Arsenal career for Martinelli, who arrived as a relatively unknown teenager from Brazil and departs seven years later as a Premier League champion and the most lucrative sale in the club’s history.
The post £60m Arsenal sale confirmed as Premier League winner completes Al-Hilal move first appeared on ArsenalNews.co.uk.
