Ornstein drops huge Vinicius Junior to Arsenal bombshell with ‘agreement’ expected
David Ornstein insists that Arsenal are expected to find an ‘agreement’ over personal terms if Vinicius Junior decides to join from Real Madrid.
The Gunners sold Leandro Trossard to Besiktas earlier this month as they look to improve their attacking options in the summer transfer market.
Arsenal had been targeting a move to sign Aston Villa attacking midfielder Morgan Rogers before Chelsea swooped in and paid £117m to sign the England international.
The Gunners weren’t willing to pay that amount for Rogers and have now made Vinicius Junior one of their top targets, as first revealed by The Athletic’s Ornstein.
The Athletic’s James McNicholas revealed earlier this week that the Vinicius Junior transfer ‘has been approved at all levels of the club’ and Arsenal ‘believe they are well-positioned to capitalise’ if he can’t agree a new deal at Real Madrid.
McNicholas said: ‘Arsenal have been searching for a player who can add a new dimension to the left side of their attack, and are now exploring an ambitious deal to sign Vinicius Junior.
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‘The 26-year-old Brazilian has entered the last 12 months of his contract at Real Madrid. Thus far, there has been no breakthrough in negotiations between club and player over a new one.
‘Madrid would be concerned about the prospect of losing such a valuable player for free in a year’s time, especially as he would be due a significant loyalty bonus next season. Therein lies the opportunity for Arsenal: if Madrid and Vinicius Jr cannot agree terms, the north Londoners believe they are well-positioned to capitalise.
‘The idea of pursuing the 54-time Brazil international has been approved at all levels of the club. Arsenal recognise it will be very difficult for them to pull this signing off, but are positioning to go for it.’
And now The Athletic‘s Ornstein has given his latest update on the state of play over Arsenal’s interest in Vinicius Junior as his future ‘remains up in the air’.
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In a boost to Arsenal’s hopes, Ornstein added: ‘A move to Arsenal appeals to the Brazil international if he does not renew his contract with Madrid. Should the attacker decide he wants to join Arsenal, an agreement is expected to be found on personal terms.’
‘Mikel Arteta loves him’ – source
A source with knowledge on Mikel Arteta’s outlook on a deal told The Athletic: “Mikel Arteta loves him. If he doesn’t renew, we will be there.”
On the stalemate over contracts talks at Real Madrid, Ornstein brought details, he said: ‘Faced with Madrid’s argument that they cannot exceed the wage cap any further, sources close to Vinicius Jr’s camp say they see a renewal bonus as the only way to increase his earnings.
‘Underlying this is the comparison with his teammate Kylian Mbappe, whose salary is very similar. However, Mbappe earns much more from the signing bonus he received after joining as a free agent from PSG in 2024.’
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