Arsenal ‘expect to complete’ £51m transfer as Gunners tell Barcelona price for Martinelli | OneFootball

Arsenal have provided Barcelona their asking price for Gabriel Martinelli as they look to tie up a transfer of their own, according to reports.

The Brazil international has had to settle for a place on the bench for the majority of the season with Mikel Arteta handing him just eight Premier League starts.

Martinelli has been a rotation option for a couple of years now but he’s usually started more games than he’s not and there are rumours he could leave in the summer.

Arsenal spent over £250m on new additions over the summer as they significantly strengthened their squad but Martinelli played down speculation he could leave earlier in the season.

Speaking on international duty in September, Martinelli said on his future: “Regarding Arsenal, it’s like here in the national team. If you ask me if it’s good to have Vini or Rodrygo in the national team, I’ll definitely say yes.

“Because he’ll help the team to win titles. And if we want to win, we need quality players.

“It’s the same with Arsenal. I’m very happy with Eze and Madueke’s arrival as well. Trossard also plays on the left side.

“So, we’re very happy when we have quality players by our side. We have a lot of matches in the season. A lot of things can happen, injuries, etc.

“So, we’re happy for the club to be looking for the best players in the league so we can try to win.”

Over the January transfer window, German giants Bayern Munich showed an interest in Martinelli with a “positive conversation” had between the Brazilian’s agents and the club.

Fabrizio Romano revealed on his YouTube channel: “Another player that was considered by Bayern for the winger position is Gabriel Martinelli.

“Bayern also spoke to the agents of Martinelli, it was a positive conversation but Martinelli is very happy at Arsenal and Arsenal showed no intention to accept anything close to €30m-€35m.”

Romano continued: “For them the player is worth WAY more and this is why the negotiation never advanced. But Martinelli was a serious target for Bayern at the beginning of the summer transfer window.

“Then, again, it didn’t evolve because of financial reasons and also because Martinelli is comfortable at Arsenal.”

And now reports in Spain claim that Barcelona are ‘looking to capitalise on a favorable opportunity in London to bolster its attacking options for next season’ with the Catalan giants ‘interested in signing’ Martinelli.

Barcelona consider the purchase of Martinelli as a ‘unique market opportunity’ ahead of the summer with the Gunners ‘seriously considering selling some assets to finance new signings’.

The La Liga side are informed of the Brazil international’s asking price, which is set at around €45m (£39m), and Barcelona are ‘looking to guarantee’ him playing time that Arsenal cannot provide.

The report adds: ‘Arsenal plans to revamp its wing positions with new signings, which necessitates the club generating significant revenue. Selling the Brazilian attacker for around £39 million would allow the English side to balance its books.’

Football Transfers also claim that Arsenal ‘expect to complete’ the permanent signing of Bayer Leverkusen defender Piero Hincapie in the summer.

The Ecuador international has impressed enough that the Gunners ‘are ready to buy him for €52m’, taking the combined cost for loan and transfer fee to €58m (£51m).

Arsenal are ready to give him a contract worth £100k a week and are ‘proposing is a four-year agreement with the option of one additional year’.