Press reports have revealed Arsenal's efforts to offer the largest contract in the club's history to Brazilian winger Vinicius Junior, Real Madrid star, in a move reflecting the club's great ambitions.
Vinicius currently earns a weekly salary of 400,000 pounds sterling, but Arsenal is seeking to improve his contract terms to boost its chances of completing this major deal.
Arsenal eyes astronomical salary to sign Vinicius Junior
According to Britain's "Telegraph Sport" newspaper, details of the amount required to sign Vinicius have been discussed, and it has been confirmed that the financial aspect will not be an obstacle to completing the deal.
The English Premier League champions have had a quiet summer so far, signing only winger Christos Tzolis and goalkeeper Illan Meslier, but the pursuit of Vinicius would mark a qualitative leap in manager Mikel Arteta's squad.
For his part, Jose Mourinho, Real Madrid's new manager, does not want to lose any of his top players, but the situation could become complicated for Mourinho as Arsenal prepares to explore all avenues to sign Vinicius, who has only 12 months left on his contract.
Arteta, the Gunners' manager, wants to achieve a better result in the Champions League after losing last season's final to Paris Saint-Germain.
The report noted that the appeal of Vinicius, a two-time Champions League winner with Real Madrid, would add a great deal to the Gunners, and although the latter already has outstanding players in the winger position, led by Saka, there is still room for further improvements.
The 26-year-old player—who had a sharp disagreement with Jose Mourinho last season during a Champions League match against Benfica—wants to settle his situation with Real Madrid.
There has been no direct contact between Arsenal and Real Madrid, and more broadly, a state of shock prevailed in Madrid after news of Arsenal's interest in the player emerged, as president Florentino Perez rarely allows key players to leave at the peak of their powers.