Roc Nation and Mikel Arteta risk upsetting Gabriel Martinelli if Arsenal sign Vinicius Jr this summer.
14:00, 28 Jul 2026
Arsenal are approaching a crossroads in the race to sign Vinicius Jr from Real Madrid. The 26-year-old winger has recently been linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium as Mikel Arteta looks to further bolster his frontline.
football.london understands that the Gunners are interested in signing Vinicius Jr, whose contract at the Santiago Bernabeu expires next year. Arsenal are willing to break the bank for the Brazil international if he becomes available.
Interestingly, Real Madrid appears to have just signed Yan Diomande from RB Leipzig. Although the 19-year-old winger predominantly featured on the right for the German outfit last season, he prefers to play on the left; not even Kylian Mbappe could shift Vinicius Jr to the opposite flank.
This week, Los Blancos are expected to hold talks with the Brazilian to resolve his future in the Spanish capital. As it stands, it remains unclear if the Gunners will submit a bid for the Brazilian, who they value radically different to other players due to his profile and standing in the game.
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If Arsenal are to sign Vinicius Jr this summer, Roc Nation will likely play a key role. Not only does the American talent agency represent the Real Madrid talisman, but it also looks after Diomande, who looks set to join Jose Mourinho's side, and Gabriel Martinelli, who would almost certainly lose his place in the Arsenal starting lineup if a deal materialised.
Roc Nation will be fully aware that at least one of their players could feel hard done by, so they will have to tread carefully. Arteta must accept that there's a scenario in which the Gunners sign Vinicius Jr at the cost of losing Martinelli, whether this summer or next, when his contract expires.
Unless the Arsenal winger is prepared to take a step back and deputise his fellow countryman, Andrea Berta risks breaking the chemistry in the dressing room, which would be a disaster after all that the squad have achieved so far together.
At the start of the year, Arteta begged the Premier League to increase the size of matchday squads from 20 to 23 players, perhaps for this very reason: to protect squad harmony. Speaking to reporters, the Spaniard said: "At the moment, there are two or three players who have to be out of the squad.
"That's a reality, and I cannot change that. These are the rules. Hopefully, the Premier League next season instead of 18 outfield players they will do 20.
"I beg them from here, [have it] like it is in the Champions League, because it's much better to manage the squad, to maintain the value of the players, to maintain the mental health of the players, as nobody wants to get out of the squad.
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"I beg them to help us with that. We can deal with hotels, travel and all of that. That would be very, very helpful for all of us. The worst thing is to leave somebody."