Arsenal in talks with star to unlock Gabriel Martinelli: report

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Arsenal want to bring a key player to the Emirates Stadium in the hope that it will greatly benefit Gabriel Martinelli

Gabriel Martinelli of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Manchester United FC at Emirates Stadium on December 3, 2024 in London, England.
Arsenal star Gabriel Martinelli (Image credit: Jacques Feeney/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)

Arsenal have identified a key player who could help to unlock Gabriel Martinelli in 2025/26, aftr the Brazilian has struggled for form in recent times.

Currently out with a hamstring injury, Martinelli suffered a drop-off in performance levels from the lofty heights he managed to reach in the 2022/23 season, where he scored 15 Premier League goals.

Inconsistency has affected his game, with Trossard and Sterling both playing on the left-wing for Arsenal at times this term as a result.

Arsenal want new signing to help unlock Gabriel Martinelli

Gabriel Martinelli of Arsenal is challenged by Tino Livramento of Newcastle United during the Premier League match between Newcastle United FC and Arsenal FC at St James' Park on November 02, 2024 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England.

Martinelli has struggled to find his way past defenders on a consistent basis (Image credit: George Wood/Getty Images)

FourFourTwo believe part of that reason is down to the lack of an attack-minded left-back who is able to provide another avenue of attack for Martinelli to profit from.

Riccardo Calafiori and Myles Lewis-Skelly don't offer quite the same attacking impetus that Oleksandr Zinchenko once did two seasons ago - and now it seems Mikel Arteta is looking to change that with another new left-back signing.

Myles Lewis-Skelly of Arsenal celebrates scoring his team's third goal during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Manchester City FC at Emirates Stadium on February 02, 2025 in London, England.

Lewis-Skelly has played regularly at left-back (Image credit: Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

According to Tuttosport, via Pianeta Milan, Arsenal are interested in signing Belgian left-back Maxim De Cuyper from Club Brugge in the summer transfer window, with Kieran Tierney and Zinchenko both set for the Emirates exit door.

The report adds that the Gunners face competition from AC Milan for De Cuyper, though, with Club Brugge wanting around €25m for the 24-year-old. He is valued at €12m by Transfermarkt, with his contract expiring in 2028.

An attacking left-back with good technical and physical attributes, De Cuyper is also strong defensively and is seen as good value in the market by both Arsenal and Milan. His overlapping runs could help unlock Martinelli, who has struggled when isolated against defenders this term.

Impressive performances for Club Brugge in the Champions League this season have alerted clubs to De Cuyper's presence, with the Belgian side set to face Aston Villa in the last 16 - a team they beat during the group stages.

BRUGGE - Maxim De Cuyper of Club Brugge KV during the UEFA Champions League playoff match between Club Brugge and Atalanta BC at the Jan Breydel Stadium on Feb. 12, 2025 in Bruges, Belgi'. ANP | Hollandse Hoogte | Gerrit van Keulen (Photo by ANP via Getty Images) Arsenal target

De Cuyper is on the radar of Arsenal (Image credit: Getty Images)

In FourFourTwo's view, Arsenal should perhaps focus on other areas of the squad before signing another left-back, where they are arguably best-stocked right now. Forwards are a pressing issue, while they could also do with adding some extra creative quality in the midfield.

The Gunners are back in Premier League action on Wednesday night when they play Nottingham Forest.

Ryan Dabbs
Ryan Dabbs
Staff writer

Ryan is a staff writer for FourFourTwo, joining the team full-time in October 2022. He first joined Future in December 2020, working across FourFourTwo, Golf Monthly, Rugby World and Advnture's websites, before eventually earning himself a position with FourFourTwo permanently. After graduating from Cardiff University with a degree in Journalism and Communications, Ryan earned a NCTJ qualification to further develop as a writer while a Trainee News Writer at Future.