Arsenal close to Gabriel Martinelli sale in club-record deal after Mikel Arteta talks | OneFootball

Gunners could have an eventful final week of summer window

There has been a growing sense that Martinelli's time at Arsenal is coming to an end after seven years in north London.

While Martinelli had initially been keen to stay at Arsenal, and turned down a move to Turkey amid interest from Galatasaray, honest discussions with manager Arteta over his position in the squad have left the Brazilian more open to leaving.

A final agreement has not yet been reached, with Arsenal valuing Martinelli at around £60million. Al-Hilal are hoping to strike a deal closer to £50m.

However, talks are advancing positively and Martinelli has been offered a contract that would involve a huge increase on his current £180,000-a-week salary.

On the move: Gabriel Martinelli looks set to leave Arsenal for Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal

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If the deal goes through, as appears increasingly likely, it will represent Arsenal's record sale.

As it stands, the £35m received for selling Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to Liverpool in 2017 is the highest fee Arsenal have brought in for a departing player.

Martinelli has been at Arsenal for the entirety of Arteta's reign, signing from Brazilian side Ituano in the summer of 2019 for a fee of around £6m.

He has gone on to score 62 goals for the club and, after several near-misses in recent years, played his part in the title-winning campaign last season.

Martinelli's exit continues Arsenal's refreshing of their left wing. Leandro Trossard departed earlier this summer for Besiktas, with Christos Tzolis signed as a replacement from Club Brugge.

It is not certain that Martinelli will also be directly replaced in the final week of the transfer window.

Arsenal had long-term interest in Juventus winger Kenan Yildiz, but he has picked up a foot injury and faces a spell on the sidelines.

Julian Alvarez remains the top target, though that is a complicated deal to do and Arsenal are still waiting for encouragement from his representatives.

The Gunners are willing to be ambitious financially if Alvarez does become available to them, as they were with Vinicius Jr earlier this summer.

However, they will not spend big for the sake of it on players that are priced well beyond the club's own valuations.