Barcelona planning player-plus-cash bid to sign 23-year-old Arsenal star – Report | OneFootball

FC Barcelona have been one of the best attacking teams in Europe so far this season. The Catalan club, led by a front three of Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Lamine Yamal, have been scoring goals for fun and this was evidenced in their 4-0 win over Real Sociedad last night.

Since the start of the year, Barcelona have scored 52 goals in 15 games, which is more than 3 goals per game. It is quite incredible that through the season, the Catalan club has managed to maintain the same kind of attacking potency and all this comes down to Hansi Flick’s tactics.

Despite the attack performing admirably well and Ferran Torres proving to be a super sub off the bench, Barcelona’s squad lacks a left-wing backup to Raphinha with Hansi Flick indefinitely casting aside Ansu Fati. Thus, the upcoming summer could see the Spanish club sign a new left winger.

Now, as per Fichajes, Barcelona are ready to present a €45 million offer to sign talented 23-year-old Premier League forward Gabriel Martinelli who plays for Arsenal.

In an effort to make the deal more feasible, the Blaugranes are also considering including a player in the transfer package. This strategy aims to reduce the overall financial burden while providing Arsenal with a valuable addition to their squad.

The Brazilian left-winger is a starter for Mikel Arteta whenever fit but has missed recent weeks due to an injury that has kept him out.

A pacy left-winger who loves to get behind the opposition backline, Martinelli is very similar to Raphinha. Both players are unconventional Brazilians in the sense that they do not necessarily have the dribbling ability that some of the other wingers do but more than make up for that with their smart runs and directness.

The Gunners man is nowhere close to the creative force that Raphinha is at Barcelona but he will be an excellent option to play from the left, be on the shoulder of the opposition defense and look to take advantage of the precise passes that Lamine, Raphinha, Dani Olmo, and Pedri can play to him.

Despite his inconsistencies, a deal worth €45 million plus a player for a winger of Martinelli’s quality would be a great bargain. However, this is just a bid that Barcelona are preparing and there is no assurance that Arsenal would accept this deal. That said, the Gunners could look to move the Brazilian on and sign someone else for the left wing position.

At 23, signing Martinelli not just serves the short-term needs but also has a huge upside, should he come good on the obvious potential that he has. It remains to be seen if Barcelona make a concrete move to sign the Brazilian in the summer and let’s wait and see how it plays out.