Arsenal are very close to signing Brazilian ‘wonderkid’ Gabriel Martinelli, according to journalist Marcus Alves.
He claims that the 17-year-old was due to be awarded the Sao Paulo league best newcomer last night, but missed the ceremony to jet into Europe.
He is set to sort out the fine details of the deal and to get his Italian passport.
Alves made the claim on his personal Twitter page on Tuesday morning, and the UOL report said the deal was agreed and the player would be unveiled at the Emirates in June when he turns 18.
Arsenal very close to signing Brazilian wonderkid Gabriel Martinelli. The 17-year-old has traveled to Europe to sort out the final details and issue his Italian passport. He was named Sao Paulo league best newcomer but missed the ceremony last night https://t.co/uR3nYpYAwi
— Marcus Alves (@_marcus_alves) April 23, 2019
OPINION
Martinelli has had a trial with Man United before and was offered to other Premier League clubs this summer, but the UOL report claims that Emery wanted the youngster the most and that helped seal the deal for the north London side. The youngster is highly regarded, winning the best newcomer award, and can play on either flank or as a striker. Arsenal fans will be pleased to see the exciting youngster make the move to the Emirates, but what they’ll really want this summer is for Unai Emery to sort out the defence. That’s been a constant let-down this season, highlighted perfectly in the 3-2 defeat to Crystal Palace, which put a sizeable dent in their top-four hopes. The defence requires major surgery, though, and we’re not convinced Emery will have the funds to buy who he needs to put Arsenal back on a level footing with Liverpool and Man City.