Arsenal are ready to reward Brazilian teenager Gabriel Martinelli with a new contract and triple his wages in a bid to fend off interest from Real Madrid.
Martinelli has started enjoying an incredible start to life in England by scoring 10 goals in 21 games for Arsenal this season since his £7million move from Ituano in the Sao Paulo regional league in the summer. The 18-year-old, who is under contract at the Emirates Stadium till 2024, became the youngest teenager to do so for Arsenal since Nicolas Anelka did the same years ago.
The striker’s pace, prolific scoring and impressive performances have alerted the likes of La Liga giants Real Madrid who are believed to value Martinelli at around £50m, about eight times the fee Arsenal paid for him in the summer, according to the Daily Mail
According to the report, Arsenal are not keen to sell the striker who is in superb form at the moment. The Gunners are wary of the interest in the Brazilian and have reportedly decided to give him a better deal. It is understood that talks are already underway to offer the player a pay rise from £10,000 a week to around £30,000.
That just shows the faith that Arsenal and Mikel Arteta have in the youngster and rightly so after how well he has done. Martinelli played for Ittuano, a fourth division Brazilian club, before joining the Gunners but he hasn’t struggled one bit despite the huge step up.
The striker has started Arsenal’s last two games due to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s suspension, showing a supreme pace and composure to score at Chelsea and a natural penalty-box awareness when tapping home in Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Sheffield United.
Martinelli was rejected by Barcelona and Manchester United before signing for Arsenal, despite being brought in for four trial sessions at United’s Carrington training ground between 2015 and 2017 and lining up in a youth team friendly alongside striker Mason Greenwood.
His best performances are certainly yet to come as he gains more experience in the coming years and if he continues to play as well as he has been this season, Arsenal fans are in for a real treat.
