Arsenal exploring Vinicius Jr deal as Real Madrid weigh Diomande move

Arsenal are looking into a potential move for Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior, with no club-to-club talks yet but genuine interest from the Gunners. The Brazil international has entered the final year of his contract, so Real could be open to selling if renewal talks do not progress rather than risk losing him for free next summer.

Vinicius would be a huge upgrade on Arsenal’s left side. They sold Leandro Trossard to Besiktas, signed Christos Tzolis as a replacement and have still been underwhelmed by Gabriel Martinelli’s output, so the idea of adding one of the world’s best wide forwards is obvious.

The main obstacle is financial. Sky’s Terry Gibson said Vinicius is on about 15m euros net a year at the moment, Real have offered 20m euros, and the player wants 30m euros net, which would be far beyond what Arsenal are likely to match. That makes the deal dependent on Vinicius being willing to compromise on wages, not just on Real being willing to sell.

Real’s pursuit of RB Leipzig winger Yan Diomande could make the situation more interesting. Madrid have already had a big bid rejected and have agreed personal terms with the 19-year-old, so if they secure a replacement, it could increase the chances of Vinicius becoming available and give Arsenal a clearer opening.

For now, Arsenal are still in the “monitoring” stage rather than active negotiation. But the fact that they are exploring the possibility shows how ambitious they are after already reshaping their wide options this summer.