Gabriel Martinelli has followed Arsenal on Instagram, amid reports that he’ll sign for the club later this month.

Usually, when a story comes out about a player following a club on Instagram or Twitter, it turns out the player had already been following the team for months or years. In this case, however, we’ve confirmed that this is a new follow:

Gabriel Martinelli followed Arsenal on Instagram last night. Rumours suggest we’ll sign him when he turns 18 on June 18th. pic.twitter.com/nxy3JC8Vi9

— Dan Critchlow (@afcDW) June 11, 2019

Of course, following a team on social media doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to sign for them, but at the very least it suggests that Martinelli is aware of the rumours linking him to North London.

Arsenal are the only Premier League side Martinelli follows, and one of two in Europe (the other being Juventus).

According to reports, the deal to sign Martinelli is already agreed, and it’s just a case of waiting until the player turns 18. His birthday is a week away now, on June 18th, so we could see some movement pretty soon.

It may not be announced immediately though, particularly as Arsenal don’t plan to reveal their new kits until July 1st. If Martinelli joins in June, they’d either have to hold off on the photoshoot or have him pose in old kits.

Martinelli caught the eye in this year’s Campeonato Paulista, as he scored six goals and assisted three in 14 appearances. That put him just one goal off the competition’s top scorer and two assists off the top assist provider, despite his young age.

It’s a different prospect playing at the top level in English football, but Arsenal’s scouting team are clearly convinced he has the raw talent.