There is a lot of interest in Arsenal striker Gabriel Martinelli, but the Gunners have a good chance of blocking the transfer as they plan to offer him a new contract.
That’s according to Fabrizio Romano in the latest edition of his exclusive CaughtOffside column, with the reporter responding to recent transfer rumors linking Martinelli as a potential Chelsea target.
Martinelli has put in a hugely impressive performance for Arsenal of late, and the Brazil international has shown that he is undoubtedly one of the best young talents in the Premier League.
This has led to some speculation that Arsenal’s rivals Chelsea could be watching him, with the Daily Mail recently claiming that they have been tracking the 21-year-old.
Romano admits that many top clubs are monitoring Martinelli, but Gooners will no doubt be delighted to learn that the club have been planning to link him to a new deal.
Responding to the Martinelli rumours, Romano said: “Many big clubs are following Martinelli, but I have been told that Arsenal have been planning to offer him a new contract for a long time.
“So Arsenal still have a chance to keep Martinelli as he is considered one of the best players for the future.”
Martinelli is surely an important part of Mikel Arteta’s long-term project, but it’s also easy to imagine that he could do an important job at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea have made a number of poor attacking signings in recent years, with the likes of Christian Pulisic, Timo Werner, Kai Havertz and Hakim Ziyech not really living up to the hype.
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It looks like Martinelli could well be an upgrade on those players, but it sure won’t be easy for the Blues to attack one of their biggest rivals for one of their most exciting young players.
Still, we’ve seen players move between these two clubs several times in recent history, with Ashley Cole famously making the controversial move from Arsenal to Chelsea, while former Gunners captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is now on the books. at Stamford Bridge.
Others, such as Petr Cech, David Luiz and Willian, have moved from Chelsea to Arsenal in recent years.
