Arsenal winger Gabriel Martinelli rejects €45M bid from Galatasaray

Galatasaray came to the table with a €45 million offer for Gabriel Martinelli. Martinelli’s camp essentially said “thanks, but absolutely not.”

The Turkish giants lodged a formal bid for the Arsenal winger this week, making the 25-year-old Brazilian their top transfer target. But Martinelli’s representatives wasted little time shutting the door, making it known that the player has zero interest in a move to Turkey. He’d rather stay at the Emirates or, if a departure ever materializes, join a club in one of Europe’s top five leagues.

The numbers behind the non-starter

Galatasaray’s €45 million offer, roughly £38.5 million, represents a substantial return on a player Arsenal signed from Brazilian club Ituano back in July 2019 for just £6 million.

The winger is under contract at Arsenal until June 30, 2027, with an option for a one-year extension baked in. He earns approximately £180,000 per week. Those two facts alone give Arsenal an enormous amount of leverage in any negotiation, because there’s no urgency to sell and no financial pressure to accept a below-market bid.

Arsenal reportedly values Martinelli closer to €60 million if they were to entertain any sale at all. That €15 million gap between what Galatasaray offered and what Arsenal would theoretically accept is significant.

And even if Galatasaray somehow bridged that gap, the player himself would still need convincing. No personal terms were ever discussed between Martinelli and the Turkish club. His camp didn’t even let it get that far.

Why Martinelli isn’t budging

Roma has also been linked with interest in Martinelli, though that pursuit appears equally unlikely to gain traction as long as the player remains content at Arsenal. The common thread in all of these reported approaches is the same: Martinelli is not looking to leave unless the destination represents a lateral move or an upgrade, not a downgrade in competitive stature.

Arsenal, for their part, have not accepted the Galatasaray bid. Some reports suggest the club has rejected it outright, while others indicate they’re still reviewing the offer.

Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.