Gabriel Martinelli, 25, moved from Arsenal to Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal on a four-year contract, with the deal finalized late on September 3, 2026 [1, 2, 3]. The transfer fee was a fixed £60 million (about $81 million), making it Arsenal's record sale [4, 5, 1, 2, 6, 3]. The deal includes a sell-on percentage for Arsenal and a sizeable release clause if a European club wants to buy Martinelli in the future [4, 2, 6].
Martinelli joined Arsenal in 2019 from Brazilian side Ituano and made 278 appearances, scoring 62 goals and providing 36 assists [7, 8, 2, 3]. He played a key role in Arsenal’s 2025-26 Premier League title-winning campaign—their first league crown in 22 years—as well as their 2020 FA Cup and 2023 Community Shield victories [7, 8, 2, 3].
Despite having one year left on his contract, Martinelli was informed by manager Mikel Arteta that he was not part of the first-team plans for the current season [4, 1, 2, 6]. He was left out of Arsenal’s first two Premier League matchday squads, replaced on the left wing by new signing Christos Tzolis [1, 2]. Arsenal have now sold two forwards recently, with Gabriel Jesus having gone to Barcelona earlier this summer [5, 1].
Martinelli will join fellow former Premier League players Ollie Watkins and Crysencio Summerville at Al-Hilal, which sits joint-top of the Saudi Pro League alongside Al-Nassr [4, 7, 8, 1, 2]. Al-Hilal’s board, led by Prince Nawaf bin Saad, confirmed the signing and Martinelli expressed pride in joining the club, saying, "Proud to be blue, proud to be Al-Hilal" [7, 1]. Arsenal also thanked Martinelli for his contributions to the club and wished him well for the future [7].
Former Arsenal striker Ian Wright criticized the club’s handling of Martinelli’s exit, saying, "The way Martinelli is being treated at the moment, it really makes me feel uncomfortable... there’s ways of doing it" [1].
Martinelli is expected to join Al-Hilal’s first-team training immediately and could make his debut against Al-Shabab on September 4, 2026 [2, 3].
