Bayern have Arsenal winger on shortlist but there’s a catch

Gabriel Martinelli reportedly remains on Bayern Munich’s transfer shortlist, but a deal doesn’t seem likely for a number of reasons.

Christian Falk reports that Arsenal winger Gabriel Martinelli is on Bayern Munich’s shortlist of potential targets, and that he has been ever since Thomas Tuchel’s time with the club.

But whilst Martinelli’s somewhat limited minutes at Arsenal might make a transfer appealing, he’d likely be in a similar situation at Bayern.

Falk claims Bayern wouldn’t view Martinelli as a potential starter, as they’re searching for a young backup option to be developed. So if Martinelli does want to leave Arsenal to be a key member of a team somewhere else, Bayern wouldn’t be the perfect solution.

Falk believes the transfer could cost around €45m (£38.9m), which isn’t so bad. But after their failure to sign Anthony Gordon from Newcastle United, Bayern are leaning towards pursuing players who aren’t necessarily ‘big-name’ options.

In all, a Martinelli move to Bayern seems like a bad fit, as he’s not the type of player they’re prioritising, and they wouldn’t be offering the kind of move that might tempt him away from Arsenal.

That doesn’t change the fact that the Bundesliga club clearly admire the Arsenal winger, it’s just hard to see the move developing at the moment.

24-year-old Martinelli made 53 appearances for Arsenal in 2025/26, but he was either substituted on or off in 44 of those matches, only completing the full 90 on nine occasions.

Part of that is down to Leandro Trossard having a strong season, making the Belgian a good option for starts or to come on as an impact sub.

But that’s not necessarily something that’s going to change next season, particularly if Arsenal also decide to sign a new winger, as media reports have suggested they’ll try to. Martinelli’s future remains uncertain for now.

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