Martinelli Faces Leao Pressure as Arsenal Weigh £43.2m Move
Arsenal have reportedly been approached over Rafael Leao, a £43.2m option who could soon sit at the centre of their summer planning, and the timing puts martinelli under sharper review after a lean league return. The AC Milan winger is one of four Premier League-linked names in the frame, with Arsenal among the clubs asked to assess him.
Leao and Arsenal
Leao’s numbers explain why the fee has caught attention. He has 10 goals and three assists from 28 Milan matches this season, but only one assist and no goals in his last six Serie A appearances. He has also had to manage calf and adductor injuries across the campaign.
AC Milan would be open to a sale if he does not sign a fresh contract, and the winger is about to enter the last two years of his deal at San Siro. That leaves a window for clubs to move now rather than wait for the contract picture to tighten further.
Martinelli Under Pressure
Martinelli’s place has become part of the discussion because the left side has not delivered consistently for Arsenal this season. He has one top-flight goal in the current Premier League campaign, while Leandro Trossard has scored five times and has made a case to start over him in Tuesday’s Champions League semi-final second leg against Atletico Madrid.
Trossard’s output gives Arsenal a different reference point. He has created 34 chances compared with Leao’s 20 and has six assists to Leao’s three, even though neither he nor Martinelli has consistently delivered over the course of the 2025-26 campaign. Eberechi Eze has also made only a fleeting impact on the left wing.
Manchester United's Summer Angle
Manchester United are also in the picture and are apparently prepared to offer three players in exchange for Leao this summer. That adds another route into the same market and gives Arsenal a clearer sense of the competition around a player Milan might let go for a relatively modest fee.
Arsenal come into the week from a 3-0 win over Fulham on Saturday, a result that moved them six points clear of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table. The left wing still looks like one of the spots where Andrea Berta and Mikel Arteta may have to make a call quickly if they want a cleaner answer than the one Martinelli has provided so far.
