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Al-Hilal Signs Gabriel Martinelli for £60 Million Record

9/4/2026

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Summary

Al-Hilal Signs Martinelli

Al-Hilal signed Brazilian winger Gabriel Martinelli from Arsenal for a record £60 million fee.
The deal includes a sell-on clause that gives Arsenal a future financial interest.
Martinelli agreed to a four-year contract lasting until June 2030.
The transfer makes him Arsenal’s most expensive outgoing sale, surpassing the £35 million Oxlade-Chamberlain deal.
Arsenal confirmed his reduced role this season, with only one Premier League goal before squad exclusion.

Summary

Arsenal Rakes Revenue

Martinelli’s £60 million departure lifted Arsenal’s summer player-sale revenue past £120 million.
Arsenal previously secured a £40 million record sale of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in 2017.
Arsenal borrowed from the Bank of England’s Covid Corporate Financing Facility during the pandemic.
Post-pandemic commercial growth left Arsenal with stronger finances to fund squad upgrades.
Despite the cash influx, Arsenal entered the season with a notable left-wing shortage.

History

Historical Context

Figo’s €62 million move from Barcelona to Real Madrid in July 2000 broke the world-record fee, echoing the first £100 transfer of Willie Groves in 1893 and launching Real’s Galáctico spending. Arsenal’s £60 million sale of Gabriel Martinelli to Al-Hilal in 2024 follows the same pattern, showing how record-breaking deals have become a staple of European clubs’ financing strategies.

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Al-Hilal Signs Martinelli

Al-Hilal signed Brazilian winger Gabriel Martinelli from Arsenal for a record £60 million fee.
The deal includes a sell-on clause that gives Arsenal a future financial interest.
Martinelli agreed to a four-year contract lasting until June 2030.
The transfer makes him Arsenal’s most expensive outgoing sale, surpassing the £35 million Oxlade-Chamberlain deal.
Arsenal confirmed his reduced role this season, with only one Premier League goal before squad exclusion.

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