Arsenal Breaks Record by Selling Gabriel Martinelli to Al-Hilal in £60M Deal

Arsenal forward Gabriel Martinelli has completed a permanent transfer to Saudi side Al-Hilal, the Premier League champions have announced. While no official fee was disclosed, British media reports indicate the late Thursday deal was worth a guaranteed 60 million pounds ($81m).

This transfer makes the 25-year-old Brazil international the most expensive player to ever depart the London club, surpassing Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s 35 million pounds ($47m) move to Liverpool in 2017. Martinelli has put pen to paper on a four-year contract with Al-Hilal, who currently sit joint-top of the Saudi Pro League alongside Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr.

“Gabriel Martinelli has joined Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal on a permanent transfer,” Arsenal confirmed in an official statement on their website. In a social media unveiling video, Martinelli declared, “Proud to be blue, proud to be Al-Hilal.” He teams up at Al-Hilal with Ollie Watkins, who recently arrived from Aston Villa for an estimated 51 million pounds ($69m).

Martinelli's exit follows Arsenal's sale of fellow left-sided forward Leandro Trossard to Besiktas. Although Christos Tzolis has been brought in from Club Brugge, questions remain over whether the departures of Martinelli and Trossard leave the Gunners understaffed in that area of the pitch.

Last season, Martinelli made 53 appearances across all competitions and scored 11 goals, helping the Gunners secure their first top-flight title since 2004. Over his nearly 300 games for Arsenal, yielding 62 goals, he also played a key role in their 2020 FA Cup and 2023 Community Shield victories.

However, the forward was omitted from Arsenal’s first two matchday squads of the new season, with manager Mikel Arteta signaling that playing opportunities would be limited if he stayed at the Emirates Stadium. The decision drew criticism from former Arsenal striker Ian Wright, who spoke out on Sky Sports regarding the handling of the player's situation. Despite the European transfer window closing on Tuesday, clubs outside the continent remain able to sign players.