Roma Targets Martinelli Amid Financial Concerns
Roma’s transfer window has narrowed to a very specific obsession: a right-footed forward who can tear in from the left with intensity and end product. It’s a role that sits at the heart of Gian Piero Gasperini’s attacking blueprint for 2026-27, and the club have spent most of the summer trying to find the right fit.
Names have come and gone. Big ones.
Mason Greenwood was explored. Antonio Nusa was monitored. Alejandro Garnacho’s profile excited the club. Each, in theory, ticked the tactical boxes. None, in practice, has come close enough to a definitive agreement. Negotiations stalled, demands rose, and the market moved on.
So Roma have turned to London.
Martinelli Emerges from Arsenal’s Shadows
According to Corriere dello Sport, sporting director Tony D’Amico has zeroed in on Gabriel Martinelli as the standout alternative. At 25, the Brazilian international sits in a curious limbo at Arsenal. One year left on his contract. No public sign of an imminent renewal. A fan favourite who suddenly looks less central to Mikel Arteta’s plans than he once did.
Christos Tzolis’ arrival has only tightened the squeeze. The Greek winger’s signing adds another body to an already crowded left flank, nudging Martinelli further down the pecking order and raising the question that always follows in these situations: is he now expendable?
For D’Amico and Gasperini, the fit is obvious. Martinelli drives inside from the left with aggression, attacks space without fear, and can finish clinically when given a clear sight of goal. On paper, he is almost a tailor-made version of the wide forward Gasperini has been demanding since he walked through the door.
But paper is cheap. Martinelli is not.
The Price of an Idea
Roma’s enthusiasm runs straight into the wall of Premier League economics. Corriere dello Sport report that Arsenal have little interest in a discount, even with the clock ticking on Martinelli’s contract. A fee in the region of €40–45 million is believed to be required to tempt the Gunners into a sale.
That figure alone would stretch Roma. Then come the wages.
Martinelli’s salary expectations would test the limits of the Giallorossi’s pay structure, forcing the club to weigh not just the fee but the long-term financial ripple effects of installing a Premier League-level earner in the dressing room. The sporting logic is clear; the economic equation is anything but.
So Roma are working on parallel tracks. They have to.
Rodrigo Mora, the Younger Route
While the Martinelli operation simmers, another name has moved into focus: Rodrigo Mora of Porto.
Roma view the young attacker as a primary alternative, a player who mirrors much of the technical profile Gasperini wants but comes with a different financial profile. Reports over the weekend suggested the club are ready to buy Mora outright from Porto, seeing him as a more affordable, developmental option who could grow into the role rather than arrive as an instant headline signing.
It is the classic fork in the road: established Premier League star at a premium, or rising talent at a price that leaves room to breathe.
Galatasaray Enter the Scene
Complicating everything is the fact Roma are not alone in circling Martinelli. Interest has surfaced from the Turkish Super Lig, and it is not tentative.
Galatasaray, the reigning champions of Turkey, have already lodged a bid of around £34 million, according to reports. That offer underlines just how highly Martinelli is still valued across Europe, despite a recent dip in his goalscoring numbers.
For Arsenal, that kind of proposal sets a benchmark. For Roma, it raises the stakes. To compete, they may have to stretch beyond their comfort zone, both in fee and wages, or accept that this particular target might be heading elsewhere.
Gasperini’s system demands that left-sided spearhead. D’Amico has his shortlist. The clock is ticking.
Now the question is simple: will Roma push all their chips in on Martinelli, or pivot decisively to the next generation with Mora before someone else does?
