Arsenal will need to pay a British record fee to prise Vinicius Junior away from Real Madrid this summer, according to Spanish outlet Sport.
The Gunners recently signed Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge to bolster the left wing, but the club are still eyeing a marquee acquisition for the position.
In the last 24 hours, Vinicius has emerged as a surprise target for the Gunners, but he will cost a premium fee despite his contract expiring in June next year.
Sport claim that Los Blancos president Florentino Perez has set a non-negotiable price tag of £137 million to part ways with the highly-rated attacker.
Perez wants an overall package (fixed fee plus add-ons) to achieve that figure. It remains to be seen whether Arsenal break the bank for Vinicius.
Arsenal can make a big statement with Vinicius deal
The Gunners were hot on the trail of Morgan Rogers earlier this summer.
He was the priority target for the left wing position, but Chelsea beat them to his signature with a club-record £117m deal.
Arsenal were offered the opportunity by Aston Villa to match the Blues’ bid for Rogers, but opted against doing so.
The club have since announced the purchase of Tzolis as a replacement for Leandro Trossard on the left wing, but the 24-year-old is regarded as a potential backup rather than an assured starter.
Vinicius has now emerged as a surprise target, and we believe Arsenal have the financial capacity to spend a British record fee to prise the Brazil international away from Los Blancos this summer.
The wages could be the bigger stumbling block. He is currently on £410,000 per week and may want a sizeable hike. Arsenal could partly compensate by allowing Vinicius to secure 100 percent image rights.
A deal remains a pipe dream at the moment, but signing a player of Vinicius’ calibre would boost the club’s prospects of retaining their Premier League title and pushing for Champions League glory.
The 26-year-old had a fine 2025/26 season with Madrid despite them not winning a major trophy. He accumulated 22 goals and 14 assists in all competitions and had a good World Cup too.
Brazil exited at the round of 16 stage to Norway, but Vinicius fared well with four goals and an assist.
He won an average of almost three dribbles per game last term, and would no doubt become one of the Premier League’s leading left wingers if not the best. Time will tell whether Arsenal can convince the Brazilian to make the switch to the Premier League this summer.
Stats from Transfermarkt, Capology & Sofascore