Is it possible for Vinicius Jr. to join Arsenal – After winning the Premier League for the first time since 2004 and making it to the Champions League final, Arsenal is looking to improve on the previous season in 2026–2027.
They had to see several players battle for their national teams in the World Cup, so they have a lot of moving pieces as the new campaign draws closer. As a result, the Arsenal team appears considerably weaker than typical at the beginning of a new season, and the front office must now think about replacing a number of positions, both temporarily and permanently.
According to ESPN and The Athletic, suggestions that the Gunners are considering a move for Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr. have recently electrified Arsenal supporters. The Brazilian is without a doubt one of the most well-known and popular players in the world, so it’s thrilling to consider that such a well-known star would be moving to the Emirates.
However, many challenges must be overcome before a deal of this size between two European behemoths can become a more concrete reality.
The Sporting News explains why Arsenal makes sense as a potential transfer destination for Vinicius Jr. and what obstacles, primarily financial in nature, need to be removed before such a significant transaction could be contemplated.
What would Arsenal have to pay for Vinicius Jr.?
Without a sure, Real Madrid would want a higher price for Vinicius Jr., most likely enough to surpass the £105 million ($130.6 million) paid for Declan Rice three years ago and possibly even surpass it.
There is one mitigating aspect, though, that might help Arsenal and allow the Gunners to come to an agreement. Vini’s Real Madrid contract is about to expire, and the 26-year-old hasn’t been able to agree to an extension up to this time.
Early last year, when he was at odds with Xabi Alonso, Vini publicly rejected Real Madrid’s offers; however, those discussions have not yet materialized since Alonso left.
Real Madrid won’t entertain anything less than their asking price of €160 million (£137 million or $182.4 million), according to the Spanish daily Sport. Given that Arsenal must adhere to both the Premier League’s and UEFA’s financial standards, it is most likely a non-starter at that price. They could be able to find a better offer, though, if they can pressure Madrid, who are aware that they run the possibility of losing Vini for free if they don’t sell immediately.
Arsenal was dealt a blow on July 28 when Sky Sports revealed that Real Madrid is certain to sign Vinicius to a contract extension and have no plans to transfer him.
Why Vinicius Jr. would be a perfect match for Arsenal
Mikel Arteta’s nearly full roster helped Arsenal win the Premier League and get to the Champions League final last season.
However, left wing has been a glaring weakness for the team for several seasons.
Leandro Trossard held the position for the most part last season, although his meager output of eight goals and eleven assists across all competitions was lacking. Although he only scored one goal in the Premier League, Gabriel Martinelli also contributed, particularly early in the Champions League.
Arsenal spent a lot of money on young Greek left winger Christos Tzolis, a 24-year-old late bloomer from Club Brugge who specializes on set-pieces, after Trossard left for Besiktas following a brilliant World Cup performance that came too little, too late for the Gunners to have much faith in.
However, Vinicius would undoubtedly be a huge success at Emirates Stadium, able to share the load with Bukayo Saka, who has recently suffered with fitness after being run into the ground by Arteta.
This summer, there isn’t an abundance of money at the Emirates. With Rice probably sidelined to begin the season, they have already spent close to €40 million (£34 million or $45.6 million) on Tzolis and are considering Bruno Guimaraes as a crucial midfield signing. However, Vini would cover a huge need for Arsenal and put the Gunners in a position to make an even better push both domestically and in Europe provided they can manage the finances and eventually prioritize this expenditure above what may be seen an overshoot for a stopgap in Guimaraes.
Why might Vinicius Jr. be sold by Real Madrid?
The main reason Real Madrid might decide to sell Vinicius is the contract situation. Club president Florentino Perez would never want to let such a highly valued asset depart for free next summer if they couldn’t reach an agreement on a long-term contract.
Madrid would probably only get a small portion of what they could get by selling him this summer—certainly less than half of his present value at that point—even if the talks last until January before coming to an end.
They will therefore be extremely motivated to reach an agreement right away if necessary.
But this arrangement is about more than that. Perez must be well aware by now that Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius will never be able to play together in the same lineup, even though it pains him to think about it. Carlo Ancelotti and Alonso, two of the team’s current top managers, have both failed to establish a setting where they can both be the center of the attack and play the number of minutes they anticipate. Too frequently, the two players devour each other’s touches and opportunities in front of goal to an unsustainable degree.
Despite Mbappe’s impressive goal totals, the two seem to have had a detrimental overall impact on the team’s performance. Vini’s peak performance from the previous season was during Mbappe’s brief injury absence.
Now that Yan Diomande is available for a hefty sum, Vinicius’ playing time is expected to decrease even more. The Brazilian will need to figure out how to acquire as many touches as he wants because Diomande dribbles down the right and Mbappe frequently drifts to Vini’s space on the left. Is it really a winning recipe, given Vinicius’s desire to be on the ball frequently?
No matter how much Perez adores his Brazilian star winger and how far Madrid has gone in the past to protect and encourage him, they have to acknowledge the high price of having him in the team. They might be content to end his tenure at the Santiago Bernabeu in order to secure the substantial financial gain that would result from such an emotional farewell.
Could Arsenal pay Vinicius’ salary?
Vinicius’s outrageous wage demands are unquestionably the biggest obstacle standing in the way of Arsenal, or really any team outside of Saudi Arabia, signing him.
One of the main points of contention in the Real Madrid contract discussions has been salary. His projected annual gross earnings of €25 million ($28.5 million) are expected to rise, although it’s unclear how much.
Real Madrid has proposed a new take-home wage of almost €20 million ($22.8 million), or over €28.5 million ($32.5 million) gross, according to The Times, which quotes the Spanish daily AS. Vinicius, the club’s biggest earner, Mbappe, is paid approximately €31 million ($35.4 million) gross plus a sizeable bonus, but Vinicius has sought a far bigger salary.
With their present roster, Arsenal could not match this. With a gross pay of almost £300,000 (€351,000 / $400,000) each week, or £15.6 million (€18.3 million / $20.9 million) annually, Saka is their biggest earner. Vinicius reportedly wants to pay Mbappe, which would equal over 170% of Saka’s wage.
As Michelle of Just Arsenal notes, Arsenal could even reach Vini’s ballpark if they gave up the player’s extremely lucrative image rights. But Arsenal’s decision-makers and owner Stan Kroenke would probably object to this, making a deal very challenging. In this case, agreeing to personal terms—a stage that typically precedes a fee agreement between the clubs—may require both parties to make substantial compromises.
On July 26, however, The Telegraph said that Arsenal was willing to give Vinicius a raise at Madrid, which would bring him closer to the Mbappe numbers he desires while simultaneously destroying their own pay scale. Simply put, it would highlight their “soaring ambition” and be “the biggest contract in the club’s history”.
In any case, if it works out, this will be a very costly trade for the Gunners.
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