Vinicius Jr's stance on Arsenal transfer as Real Madrid support for move emerges

football.london understands the Gunners are interested in signing Vinicius Jr, who has less than 12 months remaining on his current deal at Santiago Bernabeu.

The Brazil international, 26, would prefer to remain in the Spanish capital but Real's unwillingness to find a middle ground in talks around a new contract has started to shift sentiment. Arsenal's transfer chiefs are thought to be monitoring the situation and are prepared to strike first if Vinicius decides not to renew his deal.

Now, according to The Athletic, it's emerged that Vinicius Jr would be open to joining the Gunners if he doesn't sign a new contract with Los Blancos. Should he decide he wants to move to Emirates Stadium, an agreement is anticipated to be found on personal terms with Vinicius thought to be demanding £360,000 per-week.

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Arsenal's ownership have approved the anticipated figures for a deal, and while the numbers are daunting, the Gunners are hoping their expenditure would be offset by the commercial windfall Vinicius Jr would bring in.

He would elevate Arsenal's brand to a new level and the Gunners believe he can be the face of the club and even the Premier League for a number of years. It's considered that Vinicius could be the biggest transfer ever into English top-flight, surpassing Cristiano Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho and Paul Pogba among others.

It is reported that some figures at Real would favour selling Vinicius this summer, if a new contract isn't agreed, to avoid him leaving on a free in a year's time. Los Blancos are still expected to demand £137million for the Brazilian, however.

From January, clubs outside of Spain, like the Gunners, will be eligible to open pre-contract talks with the winger over a free transfer in the summer of 2027. Unless the player suddenly decides to extend his stay at the Bernabeu, Real will be forced to make a difficult call.

Florentino Perez and Jose Mourinho will have to consider whether they would rather risk losing Vinicius Jr for free at the end of the season or cut their losses and cash in before it's too late. The Brazilian could, in essence, be available for a lower price in the winter transfer window, with only a few months left on his deal.

But, come January, with the business end of the campaign on the horizon, there's always the risk that Real officials value his contributions on the pitch greater than money in the bank.