Arsenal badge, Real Madrid winger Vinicius Jr
Arsenal badge, Real Madrid winger Vinicius Jr
A report has revealed the partial agreement Arsenal have struck in their quest to bring Real Madrid superstar, Vinicius Junior, to north London.
Arsenal broke their 20-plus year wait for a Premier League title last term, and if going one better in the Champions League final, would have enjoyed the greatest season in the club’s illustrious history.
Mikel Arteta, Andrea Berta and co aren’t content to admire their handywork, however, with work well underway to launching a dynasty for the rest of the 2020s and beyond.
Bruno Guimaraes is about to sign, with two reports confirming a club-to-club agreement with Newcastle has been struck to the tune of £80m (£70m plus £10m in add-ons).
The Gunners are still pushing to sign Julian Alvarez from Atletico Madrid, and are prepared to break the British transfer record (£125m) to make it happen.
But unquestionably the highest profile arrival – albeit not the most expensive one – would involve Vinicius Junior.
The Real Madrid winger has entered the final 12 months of his contract and at 26 years of age, is in the prime of his career.
Los Blancos are dead set against losing the Brazilian for nothing next summer, meaning only two outcomes are in play – he signs a new contract or is sold to Arsenal.
David Ornstein and The Athletic recently claimed crucial talks will take place this coming week that will give clarity on the situation.
The talks will be held between Vinicius Jr, his camp, and Real Madrid. The purpose of the discussions is to determine whether a new deal will be signed at the Bernabeu, which would obviously rule out a move to Arsenal.
But according to the latest from The Independent, there is hope for Arsenal despite some claims in the industry, such as those from Sky Sports, insisting Vinicius isn’t leaving Real Madrid.
Arsenal make Vinicius Junior ‘breakthrough’
The headline in their piece read: ‘Arsenal make breakthrough in pursuit of Vinicius Junior.’
The breakthrough in question, per the report, relates to Arsenal and Vinicius Jr striking some form of partial agreement on personal terms.
The Independent added: ‘Arsenal have made progress in negotiations that could yet secure the sensational transfer of Vinicius Junior, with the outline of a personal deal agreed.’
That is a positive development for the Gunners, though the report, as many before them have too, were keen to stress Vinicius Jr staying at Real Madrid and signing a new contract remains the likeliest outcome for now.
They stated: ‘There is still a considerable way to go for any deal to happen, and the preference of both Real Madrid and the player is to stay at the Bernabeu.’
Our insider, Graeme Bailey, recently revealed what issues will be discussed in the crunch talks between Vinicius, his representatives and Real Madrid this week.
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Bailey noted Vinicius not only wants to be paid to roughly the same level as Kylian Mbappe, but he also wants a gigantic sign-on fee.
The Athletic noted Vinicius is prepared to compromise on his sky high wage demands, given the loss of earnings would be offset by the sign-on fee.
However, Real agreeing to a significant sign-on bonus would be an unprecedented step for the LaLiga giant, given large sign-on bonuses are generally only given to free agents and not those already contracted to the club.
If a deal cannot be struck, Arsenal are fully prepared to make Vinicius the highest paid player in their history.
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