Gabriel Martinelli has spoken about his situation at Arsenal following the arrivals of Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke, while Fabrizio Romano has claimed Bayern Munich tried to sign the Brazilian for a remarkable fee.
Martinelli has made 227 appearances for Arsenal to date, registering 51 goals and 29 assists in that time. The winger has helped Arsenal to become title challengers under Mikel Arteta in recent years, while also winning one FA Cup and one Community Shield.
The Brazilian winger has played twice so far this season, though he is yet to manage a goal contribution.
The 24-year-old’s place in the Arsenal starting line-up has come under threat due to the summer signings of Eze and Madueke, from Crystal Palace and Chelsea, respectively.
Leandro Trossard was linked with an exit but ended up staying, giving Martinelli even more competition for his spot on the left wing.
Martinelli himself was also tipped to depart the Emirates over the summer. Arsenal were keen on Real Madrid star Rodrygo before capturing Eze, and it looked like Martinelli could be sacrificed at one stage.
Martinelli was asked about his future at Arsenal while on international duty with Brazil. He said (via the Daily Mirror): “Regarding Arsenal, it’s like here in the national team. If you ask me if it’s good to have Vini or Rodrygo in the national team, I’ll definitely say yes.
“Because he’ll help the team to win titles. And if we want to win, we need quality players.
“It’s the same with Arsenal. I’m very happy with Eze and Madueke’s arrival as well. Trossard also plays on the left side.
“So, we’re very happy when we have quality players by our side. We have a lot of matches in the season. A lot of things can happen, injuries, etc.
“So, we’re happy for the club to be looking for the best players in the league so we can try to win.”
Romano revealed on Wednesday that Bayern tried to snare Martinelli in a €30-35million (£26-30m) deal over the summer.
“Another player that was considered by Bayern for the winger position is Gabriel Martinelli,” the journalist said.
“Bayern also spoke to the agents of Martinelli, it was a positive conversation but Martinelli is very happy at Arsenal and Arsenal showed no intention to accept anything close to €30m-€35m.”
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Gabriel Martinelli ‘worth way more’ than €30-35m – Fabrizio Romano
Romano continued: “For them the player is worth WAY more and this is why the negotiation never advanced. But Martinelli was a serious target for Bayern at the beginning of the summer transfer window.
“Then, again, it didn’t evolve because of financial reasons and also because Martinelli is comfortable at Arsenal.”
Martinelli sees himself as a key player for Arsenal, but Eze is expected to push him hard for a starting place. Martinelli has been guilty of missing several big chances in recent seasons and this could work to Eze’s advantage.
The Gunners get their Premier League campaign back up and running on Saturday when they host Nottingham Forest at the Emirates. It will see former Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou return to management with Forest for the first time.
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The Gunners have been credited with interest in a CSKA Moscow winger.
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