The world of transfers can change with the click of a sporting director’s fingers and Arsenal went from a tough week in the window to one of the most exciting. Huge names have now entered the fold for the Gunners and there is a real chance of it happening for Mikel Arteta’s side.
The headline story is Vinicius Junior. football.london have had it confirmed by sources that Arsenal’s interest is both very real and that there is a financial willingness to make it happen, if it is possible.
Those last four words, however, are the critical element to this. Arsenal are a club which hundreds of players are willing to come and play for; however, the issues this window have not been around the desire of those players to want Arsenal, but rather whether their clubs’ valuation matches that of the North London side.
In the cases of Jeremy Monga and Morgan Rogers, this was what saw both deals end with them going elsewhere. Nearly £40million was the gap between Arsenal and Aston Villa’s valuation for Rogers, while Leicester City held out for more than £10million for the 16-year-old Monga, and Manchester City obliged in paying it.
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This is not the case with Vini Jr. Arsenal’s valuation of the player is calculated radically different to other players simply because of the profile of Vini Jr being what it is.
The potential financial benefits of signing one of the top five players in the world are huge. From shirt sales, to commercial deals, and of course the player’s quality will help Arsenal to more success on the pitch. That almost guarantees a greater financial return.
Arsenal made more in a season than ever before in 2025/26, thanks to their success both on the pitch competitively and off the pitch commercially, with some major deals being done, much thanks to the exiting Juliet Slot.
This is why there is such alignment across the club: if this can be done, it should be done. Talks are expected this week between Real Madrid and Vinicius Junior to determine what the next steps of his future will be.
Real Madrid’s mega-money move for Yan Diomande, who is on record stating his preference to play on the left, is most certainly tied to the future of Vini Jr.
Sticking with Brazilian players, the move for Bruno Guimaraes also went through some major twists and turns in the last week. Reports broke suggesting Arsenal had indeed finally opened talks with Newcastle for Bruno Guimaraes.
However, sources at the northeast club denied this was the case. Reaffirming that still, despite weeks of speculation, Arsenal still had not initiated ‘direct contact’.
football.london understands that intermediaries have been heavily involved in the deal with super agent Kia Joorabchian a key figure in discussions.
The problem with this move has been the valuation, on which Arsenal and Newcastle remain apart. This game of transfer chicken with the player at its centre, who will this Friday return to the club as scheduled, at least that is what Newcastle are expecting ahead of their pre-season camp in La Manga, goes on.
It was confirmed that William Saliba will be missing for an extended period and football.london understands that both John Stones and Ezri Konsa are under consideration. However, there is also an option to look for a versatile defender with Ben White offering cover centrally.
In terms of outgoings, Arsenal played their first behind-closed-doors preseason friendly of the summer, winning 3-0 over MK Dons. Reiss Nelson and Gabriel Jesus were both involved despite being linked with summer exits.
One player not involved was Fabio Vieira. The Portuguese midfielder is hoping to secure a return to Hamburger SV, with football.london understanding talks between the clubs is ongoing to find an agreement below the £17million option that was included in the player’s loan move last season.
Arsenal have now flown to Spain, where they will face Girona on August 1. football.london will be in attendance to watch as Christos Tzolis makes his debut alongside Kai Havertz, Viktor Gyokeres and Piero Hincapie who have now both returned to the club following the World Cup.
It will also be a chance to hear from Mikel Arteta for the very first time since the end of the season. Updates from the press conferences to come on at football.london.
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