Gabriel Martinelli joins Al-Hilal for £60m as Arsenal cash in on record sale
Gabriel Martinelli has left Arsenal for Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal in a £60m deal, confirmed on 3 September 2026 — the largest sale fee the club has ever received The Guardian.
The sum surpasses the £40m Arsenal banked when Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain moved to Liverpool in 2017. It also includes a sell-on clause, meaning Arsenal will pocket a percentage of any future fee if Al-Hilal move Martinelli on. That detail matters: it gives the club a financial stake in a player who arrived as a teenager and leaves as a Premier League winner.
Martinelli joined Arsenal from Brazilian side Ituano in 2019, a relatively obscure signing that quickly looked like a steal. He was part of the squad that won the Premier League title last season — Arsenal's first in years and a moment that cemented his status with supporters. Fast, direct, and relentless in his pressing, he gave the side an edge that statistics never fully captured.
The deal had been building for days. ESPN reported on 28 August that Al-Hilal were closing in on the signing, with the package potentially worth up to €65m ($76m) ESPN. Two days later, The Athletic described the clubs as close to finalising a €70m (£60m) agreement The Athletic. The final figure landed at the Guardian's reported £60m, with the structure confirmed once the transfer was made official.
Martinelli is the second first-team forward to leave Arsenal this week, following Gabriel Jesus's move to Barcelona. For a club that kicked off the season as defending champions, losing two forwards in a matter of days raises obvious questions about depth and intent — though the £60m incoming fee, plus whatever Jesus's departure fetched, hands manager Mikel Arteta and the recruitment team significant funds to work with if they choose to reinvest before the window shuts.
For Al-Hilal, the signing continues the Saudi Pro League's aggressive recruitment of proven Premier League talent. Martinelli is 25, entering what should be his peak years, and brings pace and work rate that should translate immediately into a league still finding its competitive footing.
For Arsenal fans, there is a bittersweet edge to this one. Martinelli was the kind of player supporters attach to — not the biggest name, but the one whose effort never dipped. A sell-on clause softens the blow only slightly. The £60m is a club-record sale, and the money is real. But the shirt on the peg is empty now, and the season is already under way.
