Arsenal's Julian Alvarez transfer pursuit is being treated as a waiting game, and Gabriel Martinelli sits at the centre of it. Arsenal want £60m for Martinelli, Galatasaray already tried and failed with a €45m (£38.5m) offer, and the winger was left out of the Community Shield win over Manchester City and the 3-0 victory over Coventry City.
Martinelli's place in the deal
That selection pattern has given the story more bite than a normal transfer rumour. Martinelli made 53 appearances last season and scored 11 goals, so this is not a spare part being priced out of the building. Arsenal are talking about a player who still matters to the squad, even if the current thinking points toward a sale if they land another forward.
Ian Wright said, via teamtalk.com: "The way Martinelli is being treated at the moment, it really makes me feel uncomfortable." He added that Martinelli has done enough with this squad to be treated with more respect.
Ben Jacobs put the finance angle even more directly on talkSPORT via TEAMtalk: "We know if they’re to fund a Julian Alvarez or an equivalent player, Martinelli is the one that they can get a big enough fee for that it would make financial sense." He also said Martinelli is "frozen out for now" because Arsenal think he could leave before the window closes.
Atletico's part in the Alvarez talk
The Atletico Madrid side of the story is messier. Alvarez was booed by Atletico supporters at the Metropolitano during the 2-2 draw with Villarreal and headed straight down the tunnel after the match. He also said in late June that "the best thing for everyone is a transfer" and that he wants to "fulfil my dream".
Diego Simeone responded by calling Alvarez "an extremely important player" and added, "As long as he's with the team, I'm going to look after him." Atletico sit second in La Liga, which gives them no obvious reason to rush, while Alvarez's 49 goals across his first two seasons at the club explain why Arsenal's interest has lingered.
The fee talk is still hazy, though. Reports have put Alvarez at around £100m, £110m or even £130m, and one Real Madrid bid was said to be almost £130m. Arsenal can like the player as much as they want, but the route to a bid still runs through Martinelli's future.
Arsenal want Alvarez, and Alvarez clearly likes the idea of moving. The harder question is whether Martinelli leaves before the window shuts, because that is the move that could make the rest of the deal work.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 4 outlets. How we work →
