The Saudi Arabian transfer window opened yesterday as Al-Nassr are on the hunt for a replacement for striker Jhon Duran this summer with the former Aston Villa star set to join Jose Mourinho's Fenerbahce on loan.
Now, as reported by talkSPORT and the Daily Mail the Saudi side whose transfers are controlled by Cristiano Ronaldo have Martinelli at the top of their shopping list. This comes after Liverpool’s Luis Diaz is not for sale as the Reds rejected offers from both Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
Arsenal are yet to receive contact from Al Nassr and are reluctant to sell the 24-year-old who has been pivotal under manager Mikel Arteta in recent years. The Brazilian international has scored 51 goals in 225 games for the Gunners since joining the club in 2019 and would be a huge loss even if the fee the club receive is huge.
The Saudi club are focusing on bringing in a left-winger, striker, and holding midfielder whilst the window remains open and after Ronaldo signed a new deal he will be hoping to put together a side that can finally help him lift silverware at the club. Signing Martinelli is the first step in that process in a deal that would break Arsenal’s record for a sale which stands at the £35M that Liverpool paid them for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in 2017.