Al Hilal reach agreement to sign Gabriel Martinelli from Arsenal

Al Hilal have reached an agreement to sign Gabriel Martinelli from Arsenal, according to multiple reports.

The 21-time Saudi Pro League champions struck a deal with the Gunners to bring the Brazil international to the Kingdom Arena for a fixed fee of €70million.

With the move now agreed, it looks like Martinelli will be bringing the curtain down on a seven-year spell in the red half of North London as he prepares to take the final steps ahead of bidding farewell to the Emirates Stadium.

Al Hilal agree deal to sign Gabriel Martinelli

Martinelli's future has been very uncertain throughout the transfer window as his side pursued another left winger following the departure of Leandro Trossard and Christos Tzolis' arrival.

Galatasaray had shown an interest over the past few weeks, but the Brazilian turned down the opportunity to move to Turkey's Süper Lig ahead of reaching an agreement on personal terms with Al Hilal.

Simone Inzaghi's side began pursuing a move for the winger on 23 August and have struck a deal after progressing in talks with the club over recent days.

The agreement with the Saudi club sees Martinelli's Gunners career come to an end after seven years, having first joined from Brazilian fourth division side Ituano in 2019.

He impressed in his debut season, scoring 10 times in 26 appearances before going onto become an important member of the first team under the leadership of Mikel Arteta.

Martinelli was a key component of Arsenal's return to Europe in the 2021/22 campaign and netted 15 goals in their pursuit of the Premier League title the following year, equalling Roberto Firmino's record as the highest scoring Brazilian player in a single term.

However, his form declined as he only scored another 29 goals across what would prove to be his final three seasons at the club ahead of his expected departure. Regardless, he still played an important part and found the back of the net at crucial times as his side finally won the Premier League title and also reached the Champions League final last season.

The 27-cap Brazil international now looks set to bid farewell to the club that put plenty of faith in him as an 18-year-old and he leaves having scored 62 goals and provided 36 assists in 278 appearances, as well as winning a league title, an FA Cup and a Community Shield.

Martinelli's departure will certainly hurt plenty of Arsenal fans having watched him evolve throughout practically his entire football career, but most know that it is the right decision for the club as they look to improve on a player that has seen his form slowly grow more inconsistent in recent years.

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