Arsenal have sold Gabriel Martinelli to Al-Hilal for £60m, a fee that sets a new record for the highest sum the club has ever received for a player. The 25-year-old has put pen to paper on a four-year contract with the Saudi Pro League side, ending a seven-year association with north London that began when he moved from Brazilian club Ituano for £6m in July 2019.
The deal includes a sell-on clause giving Arsenal a share of any future fee. Martinelli is understood to be earning around £17m a season under his new terms, and Al-Hilal's outlay is reported to be entirely in guaranteed money.
Across his time with the Gunners, Martinelli made 278 appearances in all competitions, scoring 62 goals and registering 36 assists. He was central to the club winning the Premier League last season — their first title in 22 years — and also collected an FA Cup winners' medal in 2020 and an FA Community Shield winners' medal in 2023. On the international stage, he earned 27 caps for Brazil, won a gold medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, and appeared at the 2024 Copa America and the 2022 and 2026 FIFA World Cups.
His departure followed a summer in which his place at the club became progressively untenable. Martinelli had no desire to leave when the window opened and rejected an approach from Galatasaray, but conversations with manager Mikel Arteta made clear his opportunities might remain limited. He was excluded from the matchday squad for the Community Shield and for Premier League fixtures against Coventry City and Aston Villa.
Arteta spoke about the winger's situation at the Sobha Realty Training Centre ahead of the Aston Villa fixture. "That's another personal situation that we're dealing with," the Arsenal boss said. "I think everybody knows and recognises how much we love Gabi. Whatever the outcome is, it will be because everybody agrees to that."
Al-Hilal had looked at Chelsea's Pedro Neto before turning their attention to Martinelli. No other club submitted a concrete offer for the Brazilian this summer. The Saudi outfit top the Saudi Pro League with a 100 per cent record after four games, and Al-Hilal said Martinelli will begin training with his new teammates on Thursday, with a potential debut against Al Shabab on Friday.
Arsenal's official farewell was succinct. "Forever a Gunner," the club's statement read. "The club can confirm that Gabriel Martinelli has joined Al-Hilal on a permanent deal. Thank you for everything and best of luck, Gabi."
Martinelli is Al-Hilal's third signing from the Premier League this summer, following Crysencio Summerville and Ollie Watkins. His arrival at the club represents a significant return on the £6m Arsenal invested six years ago, and the £60m fee eclipses the previous record sale of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to Liverpool nine years ago for £35m.
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