Roma Targets Gabriel Martinelli as Left-Sided Game-Changer

Roma’s search for a left-sided game-changer has reached a critical phase, and one name now sits firmly at the top of Tony D’Amico’s list: Gabriel Martinelli.

Gasperini Wants a Killer From the Left

Gian Piero Gasperini has been clear from the outset. His Roma must have a right-footed attacker starting on the left, someone who can press relentlessly, drive inside, and finish. It is a role that has underpinned his most explosive sides, and the 2026-27 project is being built with that profile as a non-negotiable.

Roma have trawled the upper shelves of the market. Mason Greenwood, Antonio Nusa, Alejandro Garnacho – all have been studied, sounded out, discussed at length. None have come close enough to a handshake. High-profile targets, complex negotiations, no definitive agreement.

So D’Amico has turned his gaze to London.

Martinelli on the Market Edge

According to Corriere dello Sport, Roma’s sporting director has identified Martinelli as the most compelling alternative on the table. The Brazilian, 25, is walking into the final year of his contract at Arsenal, and the silence around a renewal grows louder by the week.

His situation at The Emirates has shifted. The arrival of Christos Tzolis has tightened the competition for minutes on the left. Under Mikel Arteta, the Greek international’s signing has nudged Martinelli down the pecking order and raised an uncomfortable question: is he now expendable?

D’Amico senses an opening. Martinelli’s profile could have been sketched directly from Gasperini’s notebook – high-intensity pressing, sharp diagonal runs from the left, the ability to cut inside and finish. On paper, it fits perfectly.

But this is no bargain-bin opportunity.

The Price of a Perfect Fit

Arsenal may be approaching the final 12 months of Martinelli’s contract, but they are not preparing a clearance sale. Corriere dello Sport reports that the London club would still expect a fee in the region of €40 million to €45 million to even consider a sale.

For Roma, that is a heavy lift. The transfer fee alone would stretch their budget; Martinelli’s wages add another layer of difficulty. Any deal would have to be carefully threaded through the club’s existing salary structure, and that is where the dream edges into risk.

The interest is real. The fit is obvious. The numbers are the problem.

Plan B: Rodrigo Mora

Roma cannot afford to wait on a single solution, not with Gasperini demanding that his squad be shaped early and precisely. While the Martinelli option is being explored, the club are working a parallel track.

One of the main alternatives on the table is Rodrigo Mora of Porto. Over the weekend, reports suggested Roma are ready to move decisively for the youngster, with the idea of buying him outright from the Portuguese side.

Mora offers a different proposition: younger, potentially more affordable, but still aligned with the technical and tactical demands Gasperini has laid out. Less proven than Martinelli, but with room to grow into the role rather than step into it fully formed.

It is the classic fork in the road for a club like Roma: pay big for the finished article, or invest in the talent that might become one.

Galatasaray Enter the Scene

Roma are not alone in circling Martinelli. The winger’s uncertain standing at Arsenal has drawn attention from elsewhere, and one club has already put serious money on the table.

Reports indicate that Galatasaray have submitted a bid of around £34 million for the Brazilian. For the reigning Turkish champions, it is a statement move, a swing at a player whose raw numbers have dipped but whose reputation and ceiling remain high.

That offer underlines the scale of the competition. If Roma want Martinelli, they are not just negotiating with Arsenal’s valuation and their own wage bill. They are also fighting the market.

For Gasperini and D’Amico, the question now is stark: push hard for the ideal fit at a premium price, or pivot quickly to a rising talent like Mora before someone else does?