Arsenal ace facing awkward reunion with player who ‘nearly broke’ his leg as £9m bid made

Gabriel Martinelli could wind up sharing the pitch with a former rival who put in a dangerous tackle on him earlier this year, as a £9million bid has been made for the club captain

Arsenal have made a £9.3million bid for Brentford captain Christian Norgaard, just weeks on from his horror tackle on Gabriel Martinelli. The north London side are looking to beef up their midfield this summer transfer window, and Norgaard looks to be a cost-effective way to boost their depth in the middle of the park.

The Mirror understands that the veteran playmaker has been identified as a new target for Arsenal, following Jorginho’s exit to Flamengo on a free transfer and the departure of Thomas Partey looking increasingly likely.

However, if the deal is agreed upon, this may result in an awkward reunion between Martinelli and Norgaard in preseason due to their fiery exchange back in April. During a 1-1 draw between Arsenal and Brentford at the Emirates Stadium, the Bees captain brought down the winger with a tackle in the first half, much to the anger of Mikel Arteta and the rest of the home crowd.

Referee Simon Hooper flashed a yellow card Norgaard’s way, after VAR chose not to upgrade the booking to a straight sending-off. Post-match, Martinelli was left fuming with the challenge, telling Sky Sports that he believed it was worthy of a dismissal.

The 24-year-old said: “I didn’t see that again but in the moment, if my foot was on the floor, he could break my leg. He [Norgaard] said he didn’t mean it. I believe him but still he could have broke my leg. For me it was red. I need to see it again to be sure. But for me it was nasty.”

Arteta had his say on the decision as well, adding: “My reaction says everything.”

Norgaard stated that his apology to Martinelli was accepted, and insisted he did not go into the tackle with any intention. The 31-year-old said: “He accepted my apology and shook my hand.

“He thought the tackle was maybe harder than I did, but he was fine and [Declan] Rice as well – he said it’s part of football, you try and make these tackles to stop transitions and there was no evil intention in the challenge. Looking back at it, maybe it was a bit harder than I wanted it to be, but I would never set out to hurt a player intentionally.

“Sometimes you end up in situations like I did with Jordan Pickford at Everton, where I got a straight red card (which was overturned), but it was never intentional.”

Arteta will no doubt hope the incident won’t cause any problems should Norgaard end up making the move to the Emirates this summer.

Norgaard has two years left on his Brentford contract and has been a key part of ex-boss Thomas Frank’s midfield in recent seasons. However, with Frank now managing Tottenham Hotspur, and the player keen on a potential move to Arsenal, discussions are now underway between the two clubs to articulate a deal.

Norgaard could potentially join the incoming Martin Zubimendi, who is reportedly on his way to north London from Real Sociedad. Arsenal have agreed terms with the Basque club, and the Spain international looks set to join the club soon in a £55million deal.

With Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice and Mikel Merino already in place at the Emirates Stadium, both Zubimendi and Norgaard will be joining a stacked midfield next season as Arteta goes in search of that elusive Premier League crown again.

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