Roma Targets Martinelli as Key Reinforcement for 2026-27
Roma’s summer search has a very specific shape. Gian Piero Gasperini wants a right-footed forward who can tear in from the left, press relentlessly and finish with edge. It’s a role that underpins his attacking structure, and the club have been combing the market to find the right fit for 2026-27.
They started at the top shelf. Mason Greenwood’s name surfaced. So did Antonio Nusa, the Norwegian livewire, and Alejandro Garnacho, already a full Argentina international at Manchester United. All three, on paper, ticked key boxes: direct running, one‑v‑one threat, goals. All three have been discussed, sounded out, negotiated over at different levels.
None of them has come close enough to touch.
So Roma have turned their gaze to London.
Martinelli on the market’s edge
According to Corriere dello Sport, sporting director Tony D’Amico has moved Gabriel Martinelli to the front of the queue. At 25, the Brazilian international sits in an awkward limbo at Arsenal. He is down to the final year of his contract at The Emirates, and there has been no clear public sign that an extension is around the corner.
His sporting situation is no clearer. The arrival of Christos Tzolis has tightened the competition for wide places under Mikel Arteta. With the Greek winger added to an already crowded attacking line, Martinelli’s route back to an undisputed starting role looks more congested than ever. He risks becoming a luxury rather than a necessity.
That is where D’Amico sees opportunity.
Martinelli’s trademark – driving infield from the left with pace and aggression, then finishing with precision – dovetails almost perfectly with Gasperini’s blueprint. High intensity off the ball, vertical threat on it, the ability to attack the half-space and punish disorganised defences: this is exactly the profile the new coach has been asking for.
Roma know what he is. Arsenal know what he is. That is why this will not be cheap.
The numbers bite
Corriere dello Sport reports that Arsenal have no intention of cutting Martinelli loose at a discount, even with the clock ticking on his contract. The estimated price sits in the €40–45 million range, a figure that instantly tests Roma’s financial limits.
And that is only half the equation.
Martinelli’s salary expectations could stretch the Giallorossi’s wage structure to breaking point. Roma are trying to rebuild a competitive squad without losing control of their books; handing out a blockbuster contract to land a Premier League winger is the kind of move that can ripple through a dressing room and a balance sheet.
The deal is attractive on the pitch. It is complicated everywhere else.
Mora and the parallel plan
Roma cannot afford to wait on a single solution. While D’Amico explores what it would actually take to prise Martinelli from North London, the club are working in parallel on a younger, potentially more attainable option: Rodrigo Mora of Porto.
Reports over the weekend suggested Roma are prepared to move decisively to buy Mora outright from the Portuguese giants. He is seen as a rising talent who fits the same technical template Gasperini has laid out – right-footed, comfortable starting on the left, capable of playing at tempo – but without the price tag or wage demands of a Premier League-established Brazilian international.
It is the classic fork in the road for an Italian club with ambition: pay big for the almost-finished article, or invest earlier in a player who might grow into the role under the right coach.
Galatasaray enter the frame
Complicating Roma’s pursuit is the fact they are not alone in sensing an opening around Martinelli.
From Turkey, Galatasaray have already made a concrete move, lodging a bid reported to be around £34 million. For a player whose recent goalscoring numbers have dipped, that is a serious statement from the reigning Super Lig champions and a reminder of how highly Martinelli is still rated across Europe.
Their offer underlines the reality of this chase. Roma are not negotiating in a vacuum; they are up against a club with Champions League ambitions of its own and the financial muscle to act quickly when a target becomes available.
So the equation is clear. If Gasperini is to get his ideal left-sided destroyer, Roma must decide how far they are willing – and able – to go, and how quickly they are prepared to move, before the market closes and someone else walks away with the winger who fits their system almost too well.
