Real Madrid have hit a stumbling block in their attempts to tie Vinicius Jr down to a new contract, opening the door for Arsenal as they continue to be linked with one of the biggest transfers in world football.
The Spanish giants remain confident the Brazilian winger wants to stay at the Bernabeu, but negotiations have yet to produce a breakthrough after discussions reached an impasse over the structure of a potential signing-on fee.
With Vinicius entering the final year of his current deal, uncertainty over his long-term future remains.
According to the Daily Mail, Vinicius’ representatives are due to hold fresh talks with Real Madrid president Florentino Perez this week as both parties attempt to resolve the outstanding issue.
While the proposed salary package is believed to have been accepted, no agreement has yet been reached over the signing-on payment.
The contract stand-off is being closely monitored by Arsenal, who are weighing up whether a sensational move could become possible before the transfer window closes.
Any departure would hand the Premier League one of the world’s elite attacking talents at a time when several of football’s biggest stars, including Lamine Yamal, Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele, currently play outside England.
Real Madrid have hit a stumbling block in their attempts to tie Vinicius Jr down to a new contract, opening the door for Arsenal as they continue to be linked with one of the biggest transfers in world football
|
REUTERS
But the deal wouldn’t be cheap, with a fee of £200million required to prise him away.
Mikel Arteta has already strengthened his squad this summer but has made no secret of his desire to add further quality before the new campaign begins.
Speaking after Arsenal’s pre-season clash with Girona, Arteta hinted there could still be movement before the transfer deadline.
Vinicius Jr is one of the biggest names in world football and continues to be linked with a move to Arsenal
|
REUTERS
“We expect to have movements in the next few weeks, obviously,” he said.
“We want to get better like anybody else, and you can see the transfer market and our opponents… We won’t sit still and we are very ambitious with what we are doing.
“The margins are very small. Because we want to get better and the level is going to increase. We need to increase the competition internally.
“We need to make sure we identify the things that we don’t have in the team.”
Although Arteta did not discuss individual transfer targets, Arsenal continue to explore opportunities to strengthen a squad that won the Premier League title last season.
Jose Mourinho is keen to keep Vinicius Jr at Real Madrid despite interest from Arsenal | GETTY
The Gunners remain interested in Newcastle midfielder Bruno Guimaraes and have already bolstered their attacking options by signing Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge in a deal worth £34m.
Meanwhile, new Real boss Jose Mourinho is determined to keep his best players at the club.
The Portuguese coach, who is still adjusting to life back at the Bernabeu following his shock return, is determined to wrestle the LaLiga title off Barcelona next term.
Real have been active so far this summer, with Marc Curuella, Carlos Espi, Denzel Dumfries, Ibrahima Konate and Bernardo Silva all arriving.
