Arsenal have reportedly taken a major step towards landing Gabriel Martinelli, as they’ve secured a verbal agreement with Ituano to sign him.
The Gunners are currently in a real battle to secure a top-four finish in the Premier League this season, with the all-important Champions League qualification crucial for Unai Emery.
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While that is their more immediate focus, Yahoo Esportes in Brazil have reported that they’re also working in the background on transfers and are said to have reached a verbal agreement with Ituano to sign Martinelli.
It’s added by the Daily Mail that Martinelli could set the Premier League giants back around £5m.
The 17-year-old has shown real promise to this point in his career, scoring 10 goals in 31 appearances for the Brazilian outfit.
Naturally, it’s not expected that he will become an immediate success at Arsenal if a move to north London does materialise, but ultimately he would seem like an exciting addition for the long-term future.
It’s added in the report that the only thing holding up a move to join the Gunners now is to obtain an Italian passport, after which he should be announced as an Arsenal player.
That’s some move for such a young player, and so time will tell how he deals with that pressure and level of expectation while trying to prove that he can adapt and adjust his game to be a success in England.
Nevertheless, with the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette in the senior squad currently, he will have his work cut out to impress Emery enough to get the nod.
However, should a move materialise as suggested in the report above, the first objective will surely be to impress at youth level and slowly build towards making a name for himself as an Arsenal player.
