Vini Jr Arsenal
Vini Jr Arsenal
Arsenal may not have seen the last of Vinicius Junior after all, with a former Real Betis striker claiming Real Madrid only handed the Brazilian a new contract so they could sell him in 2027.
The Gunners wanted the 26-year-old in the summer, and the chase ended when he signed a deal at the Bernabeu that runs until 2032. That looked like the end of it for Arsenal, and for everyone else.
A frustrating start to the season has changed the mood in Madrid, though. Vinicius has not been at his usual level, there have been concerns over his conduct, and he is in the middle of a four-match domestic ban.
Why would Real Madrid sell Vinicius in 2027?
Poli Rincon, the former Betis striker, believes the contract was never about keeping him for good. Speaking to Cope, he said: “Real Madrid extended Vinicius’s contract so they could sell him in 2027. He has been extraordinary, but if you want to keep Bellingham and Mbappe, you’ve got a problem. And now we’ll have to see who wants Vinicius and for how much.”
That is the heart of it. Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius on the same wage bill is a lot to carry, and a long contract protects his value if Real Madrid ever decide to cash in.
For now, the club have no plans to put him on the market. Reports in Spain suggest an offer of £125m could test their resolve, which tells you what any buyer would be walking into.
A red card, a ban and a furious Mourinho
The latest trouble started against Villarreal. Vinicius was sent off in contentious fashion after he was judged to have pulled the hair of Nathan Saliba in the build-up to his disallowed goal. Jose Mourinho was so angry that he refused to do his post-match media duties.
The Spanish Football Federation then gave Vinicius two games for violent conduct and two more for his protests after the dismissal. He missed the Clasico win over Barcelona as a result, and he will not play in La Liga again until after the November international break, although he is still free to play in the Champions League.
Mourinho, for his part, is not giving up on him. “I can’t wait for Vini Jr to be back from the sanction because I love him. I need him,” he said.
Where does Vinicius fit in Arsenal’s plans?
Arsenal genuinely believed they had a chance last summer, and were ready to pay what would likely have been a British record fee, as we explained when we looked at the more than 20 names on Arsenal’s summer shortlist. The six-year deal followed instead.
According to the Mirror, Mikel Arteta has made signing a top-class forward his top priority for January. Vinicius sits on that list alongside Bournemouth’s Eli Junior Kroupi, who has spoken openly about wanting to play for the biggest clubs in the world, and Juventus winger Kenan Yildiz.
Verdict: Vinicius is a 2027 story, not a January one
I would not get carried away. Real Madrid have no plans to put him on the market, Mourinho has just said he needs him, and £125m is a number only a handful of clubs can even think about.
But if Rincon is right, the summer of 2027 is when the door opens. Arsenal did their homework on him during last summer’s chase, so they would not be starting from scratch. If January brings another forward, it is far more likely to be Kroupi or Yildiz than Vinicius. The bigger question is whether Arteta still wants him in 18 months, once the noise around the ban and the Villarreal red has died down.