Spanish reports keep Vinicius Jr linked with Arsenal
Spanish media believe Vinicius Junior could still join Arsenal this transfer window. This is despite widespread reports suggesting the Real Madrid and Brazil star will stay put.
The Gunners head into the new season as defending Premier League champions for the first time in 22 years and have looked to sharpen their attack. Christos Tzolis has already been signed from Belgian side Club Brugge for £34million, but Mikel Arteta seemingly wants more.
Last week, news surfaced that Arsenal were exploring a move to sign Vinicius Junior, which would likely be the window's headline transfer. However, more recent updates suggest he is keen to remain at the Bernabeu and pen fresh terms, with his current deal set to expire in 2027.
Irrespective of the suggestion that Vinicius won't be going anywhere, some outlets in Spain reckon that his club have an "obligation" to sell him and that there could be more to this narrative than meets the eye.
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Ex-Real Madrid goalkeeper Santi Canizares spoke on COPE's Tiempo de Juego programme about the Vinicius saga and thinks that his former side would rather sell their star than see him leave for free next summer.
"The more noise there is about a player, the less chance he has of leaving," he stated. "[But] Real Madrid are late with everything. If it's true that he doesn't have a signed agreement, Real Madrid have an obligation to sell him. You can't lose 100 or 100-plus million euros by letting a player's contract expire. I just don't believe it's going to happen. It's an unforgivable mismanagement."
The fee many reports claim Vinicius would cost this summer is in the £100m-plus range. But with the likes of Sky Sports News reporting that he will stay and that Real Madrid have zero interest in selling him, it could be that a new deal is signed rather than a groundbreaking transfer sanctioned.
However, one Spanish outlet hints that there hasn't been a meeting about renewing Vinicius's contract for some time and suggests there could be more to come regarding the 26-year-old's future.
Deputy director of AS, Tomas Roncero, states:
"The club says there probably won't be a problem, because he intends to renew. "If you talk to Vini's people, they tell you that his only wish is to stay at Madrid and leaving isn't even on his mind. But curiously, there hasn't been a single meeting for eight or nine months. The last time, there was a huge financial disagreement, because his demand was to earn the same as Kylian Mbappe. Madrid made it clear to him that he's not going to earn the same as Mbappe. "There will be no agreement on those initial terms. I'd like to think that Vinicius will lower his financial demands, which would also be reasonable. You have to understand the pecking order within a club and it's clear that Real Madrid's star player is Mbappe. "He's the all-time leading goalscorer in World Cup history, World Cup Golden Boot winner, Champions League Golden Boot winner, and La Liga top scorer. His individual statistics speak for themselves. And Vini hasn't been quite as outstanding. He has to understand that he can't earn the same amount."
On Vinicius potentially leaving for free, he added:
"Real Madrid want to avoid that scenario. The Yan Diomande deal is a clear message that Vinicius might not stay. Otherwise, there wouldn't be such urgency to spend 120 million euros on a 19-year-old player. Such a big gamble only makes sense if you're also covering your back."
Roncero's colleague and chief editor of AS, Aritz Gabilondo, also stated:
"If both sides want to renew, the deal is signed and that's it. Someone here is playing a different game. "It’s a strategy that Real Madrid – and specifically its president – has historically taken a dim view of. Taking a gamble on Florentino Pérez in this instance is very tricky."
