Vinicius Junior, Real Madrid's star, has now become Arsenal's top target during the summer transfer window, according to the British Broadcasting Corporation.
Vinicius Junior
Club: Real Madrid
The Brazilian international's contract with the Royal Club expires in the summer of 2027, opening the door to speculation about his future.
The report clarified that Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta is very impressed with the idea of signing the player and is keen to bring him in.
Arsenal will likely have to break the British transfer record to sign Vinicius Junior from Real Madrid.
The deal is expected to far exceed £125 million, in addition to making him the highest-paid player in the club's history, according to the report.
The report noted that Arsenal's management has analyzed the figures, and club officials believe they have the financial capacity to fund the deal to sign Vinicius.
Vinicius Junior's future at Real Madrid remains uncertain, especially amid the team's interest in signing Leipzig's German winger Xavi Simons in the ongoing summer transfer window.
In addition, the Spanish newspaper AS revealed that Brazilian Vinicius Junior is not considering leaving Real Madrid, despite growing interest from Europe's top clubs in signing him, confirming that the player's priority is to renew his contract with the Royal Club, which aligns with the management's wishes as well.
The newspaper explained that Real Madrid's imminent signing of Xavi Simons, one of the standout stars of the World Cup, has sparked speculation about Vinicius's future, especially since the new player shares the same agent as the Brazilian star, Frederico Pena, but those reports do not reflect reality.
The report indicated that renewal negotiations will resume next week after Vinicius returns from vacation, as the player wants to meet with club officials to understand his role in the new project led by Jose Mourinho, in addition to discussing a salary commensurate with his status among the world's top football stars.
Mourinho believes Real Madrid should not let go of a player of Vinicius's caliber, and plans to form a strong attacking trio including Xavi Simons, Kylian Mbappe, and Vinicius, with Jude Bellingham behind them.
Renewal negotiations had reached advanced stages before stalling after the Club World Cup, after Vinicius reduced his financial demands and Real Madrid increased its offer, making the gap between the two sides very limited, but the final agreement was not completed.
According to the newspaper, Vinicius is currently requesting an annual salary of around €20 million net, an increase of only €5 million over his current average salary.
The newspaper concluded its report by confirming that Vinicius feels he has not received sufficient appreciation in recent times, after the club's interest in signing Julian Alvarez and then Michael Olise, alongside the arrivals of Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe, but he still sees his future at Real Madrid, while the club's management considers renewing his contract to be one of the team's most important deals in the coming period.