The most significant transfer story involving an existing Arsenal player this summer appears to be taking shape rapidly, with PSG sporting director Luis Campos having held direct discussions with the representatives of Gabriel Martinelli according to L’Equipe, as the 24-year-old Brazilian winger reaches the end of his seventh season at the Emirates and signals his readiness for a new challenge.
The timing of the PSG approach is significant in multiple ways: it arrives as Arsenal prepare for a summer of substantial squad restructuring, it coincides with the period when Martinelli’s contract, which runs until 2027 with a club option to extend, becomes a commercially relevant asset whose value diminishes the closer it gets to its expiry date.
Martinelli’s 2025/26 season has been the most complicated of his Arsenal career, with just one Premier League goal in nine starts representing a return that is difficult to defend even accounting for his Champions League contributions, which are more impressive at six goals across 11 European appearances but still leave the overall impression of a player who has not taken the decisive step forward that was expected of him by this stage of his development.
Arsenal’s willingness to listen to offers has been confirmed by multiple outlets close to the club, with the figure of £50 million widely cited as the minimum the Gunners would accept, a valuation that accounts for his age, his international profile with Brazil, and the one-year remaining contract that provides the club with leverage but not unlimited leverage in any negotiation.
The PSG interest is framed by the French champions’ broader summer agenda, which prioritises Julian Alvarez as the primary attacking addition, with Martinelli positioned more as an alternative contingency than a primary target, though Campos’s direct engagement with the player’s representatives represents a concrete expression of intent rather than casual monitoring.
Atletico Madrid have also entered the picture for Martinelli, drawn partly by his Brazilian profile and partly by their existing connection to Arsenal through various transfer dialogues in recent seasons, while Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, Marseille, and Al-Nassr are all reported to have been informed of his availability at the right price.
Martinelli himself is described by Football Insider as wanting to remain at Arsenal and contribute to the club’s long-term plans, a preference that is understandable given his seven-year tenure and his attachment to a club that developed him from an eighteen-year-old prospect signed from Brazilian side Ituano for approximately £6 million into an established international performer.
The reality of Arsenal’s tactical evolution under Arteta, however, appears to be pushing in the opposite direction: the system increasingly rewards precise movement, positional discipline, and creativity in tight spaces, qualities that do not always align with Martinelli’s strengths, which are more rooted in pace, vertical running, and transition pressure.
The final shape of this saga will depend substantially on whether Arsenal complete a deal for Nico Williams, since the arrival of the Athletic Club winger would directly address the left-flank vacancy and make Martinelli’s continued presence as a squad option rather than a regular starter a more uncomfortable situation for both parties to sustain.
For PSG, the calculus involves weighing Martinelli’s Champions League pedigree and Premier League experience against his inconsistent domestic form, with Luis Campos likely to make a final decision only once the Alvarez pursuit has been resolved, leaving Martinelli in a state of genuine transfer uncertainty that is unlikely to be clarified until the summer window is properly underway.
