Al-Hilal is reportedly on the cusp of landing Arsenal attacker Gabriel Martinelli, a move set to cost them around €60 million and leave Milan, Napoli, and Roma in the dust. These Serie A heavyweights were all linked to Martinelli during the summer, but Al-Hilal’s offer was simply too lucrative, both for Arsenal and for the player’s personal terms, Gianluca Di Marzio reports. The two clubs are currently ironing out the final details of the agreement.
A Mammoth Haul for the Gunners
This €60 million package is a massive ‘plusvalenza’ for Arsenal, who only paid €11 million to acquire Martinelli in the first place. His original club, Ituano, will also get a nice payday, thanks to a 20 percent sell-on clause. Martinelli is leaving Arsenal after seven seasons, during which he piled up 278 appearances, scoring 62 goals and dishing out 36 assists. What a run!
Al-Hilal’s Aggressive Pursuit
Al-Hilal coach Simone Inzaghi was clearly not messing around, proactively chasing the Brazilian international to convince him to move to the Saudi Pro League. Martinelli wasn’t even their only big target this summer, either. Fabrizio Romano reported (via Calciomercato) that Al-Hilal previously reached out to Francisco Conceiçao’s entourage. Even with Juventus coach Luciano Spalletti publicly deeming Conceiçao “untouchable,” it shows Al-Hilal’s intent to bring in top-tier forwards. The reality is, despite agent-fueled chatter, Martinelli was never truly close to moving to Italy. Milan, while active in the market, was careful with their payroll, and Martinelli’s wages were just out of reach for Serie A standards, especially after Al-Hilal drove up his demands.
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Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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