Arsenal will have to overcome a difficult barrier in order to tie Gabriel Martinelli down to a new long-term contract. The Brazilian international is reportedly demanding a major wage increase after making an impressive start to the new season.
Martinelli has already found the net four times in the Premier League this season as Arsenal sit pretty at the top of the Premier League. He most recently helped the Gunners to a 3-2 win over Liverpool. The winger showed exactly what he can when given the space to operate against top opposition as he wreaked havoc all afternoon, ending the game with a goal and an assist.
"He's a great player," Mikel Arteta said after the match. "I think today he had an outstanding performance against a top defender and a top team, and he made a difference in the game as well as the other players. That's the next level, to step up in these games and make things happen to win it."
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Nevertheless, despite his desire to stay at the club for years to come - something he's admitted to on several occasions - the Gunners will have to offer him a huge pay rise to commit to a new deal, according to the latest reports that is.
The Daily Mail states that Arsenal will need to increase his wages from the current figure of around £70,000 per week to over £200,000 if they are to tie down the Brazilian to a new long-term deal. That figure would put him in line with the club’s top-earners Gabriel Jesus and Thomas Partey – and ward off interest from rival clubs.
Whilst talks are ongoing and a new deal is expected to be agreed in the future, Chelsea are said to be interested in him, whilst Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has always been a fan of his talent. He's even previously labelled him as the "talent of the century" and an "incredible striker."
The forward’s existing deal, signed in July 2020, runs until 2024, with the Emirates Stadium club holding an option to trigger an extension, football.london understands.
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