Arsenal transfer stance on Martinelli made clear as missing £20m proves crucial

Arsenal considered offloading Gabriel Martinelli during the summer but no buyer came close to matching their valuation of the Brazilian, leading them to keeping the forward

Arsenal were open to selling Gabriel Martinelli in the summer transfer window, but all the interest in their forward fell £20million short of their valuation and as a result no sale was considered.

The Brazilian was once a mainstay in the Gunners' frontline but his form last season dipped and Mikel Arteta has bought in numerous new faces, which could see Martinelli fall down the pecking order.

Since moving to the Emirates from Ituano as an unknown quantity Martinelli had continued to blossom and was linked with the likes of Real Madrid, but has remained in north London to be part of their recent rise. However his departure was only to be considered if a buyer came up with a £60m bid.

The Daily Mail reports that any interested parties were not prepared to go beyond that £40m mark and, as a result, any thought of selling him was shelved and he remains part of an attack that has been bolstered by the arrivals of Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke.

Martinelli played 51 times for Arteta's side last season, the highest number during his career, and despite the arrival of more competition the Arsenal boss claimed the Brazilian still has a hugely important role to play going forward.

He said: “No, I think Gabi has been a super important player for us and he’s going to remain very, very, very important. The fact that we have options with different qualities, that’s going to fulfil what we want, because every opponent is going to require different things and then the state, the moment, the way that those players are impacting the game – that competition is needed.

"We have him in many other areas on the pitch and he’s needed, especially in the front line, to start the game and to finish the game. So, I’m very happy with what we have.”

Arsenal's summer failed to see them bank any meaningful windfall with the majority of their exits heading out on loan or for minimal fees. That didn't stop the Gunners spending, but they remain unable to match the sale revenue generated by their rivals.

The north Londoners have rarely sold players at, or close to, their peak. Instead they've offloaded players who buyers know are not part of their plans. As a result they only made £8.5m during the summer whilst Liverpool received more than £200m and Chelsea £300m.