Galatasaray have turned Arsenal's summer sell-list into a live decision by bidding £38million for Gabriel Martinelli. BBC Sport sources say the offer was worth €45m (£38.5m), while the Evening Standard reported the bid as £38million. Arsenal have invited offers for Martinelli and Ethan Nwaneri, so this is no longer just background noise around the winger.

Arsenal's contract position on Martinelli

Martinelli has one year left on his Arsenal contract, with the club holding an option to extend it by 12 months. That gives Arsenal leverage, but it also puts a price on the conversation before the window drifts any further. The reports do not say Martinelli is pushing to leave, only that he is no longer off limits.

His output gives Arsenal a reason to at least listen. He scored only 1 Premier League goal last season, and the club's interest in moving players is part of a wider summer reshuffle rather than a panic move. BBC Sport say Arsenal are set to raise around £45m from the sales of Leandro Trossard, Jakub Kiwior, Christian Norgaard and Karl Hein, while talks with West Ham over Reiss Nelson could bring in about £3m on a permanent deal.

Arsenal's wider summer reshuffle

The Martinelli situation sits inside a broader sell-first plan. Arsenal have won all 5 of their most recent recorded fixtures, so the push to move players is about shaping the squad, not trying to rescue a broken season. That is where the Martinelli bid becomes more interesting, because a club in that position can decide whether a proven winger is still central to the next version of the attack.

The World Cup evidence adds a small counterweight. Martinelli has a 7.05 rating across 4 appearances and 153 minutes at the 2026 World Cup, which suggests there is still a high level in his game when the setting suits him. Even so, Arsenal now look prepared to test the market rather than treat him as untouchable. The next step is whether they accept the offer in front of them or hold out for a better one before the window closes.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →