Arsenal reportedly turned down two major offers from Barcelona during the summer transfer window, both involving player swaps for Brazilian winger Gabriel Martinelli. Barcelona, under coach Hansi Flick, was keen on securing a new left winger, with Martinelli being Flick’s ‘main Plan B’ after Nico Williams of Athletic Bilbao decided to extend his contract rather than join the Catalan club.
According to a report from Football365, Barcelona has been eyeing Martinelli for a while. Due to their financial constraints, they proposed a swap deal, offering two players in exchange for the 23-year-old. The first player was Ferran Torres, who had joined Barcelona from Manchester City for £45 million in January 2022. Torres was reportedly open to the move, as he was eager to work with Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, but the deal was ultimately ‘completely ruled out.’
The second offer was considered more appealing to Arsenal, as Barcelona proposed former Chelsea defender Andreas Christensen, a player Arteta was interested in due to his Premier League experience and versatility. However, despite this offer, Arsenal made it clear that Martinelli remains ‘untouchable’ within the squad, even though his position is being challenged by Leandro Trossard.
