Vinicius Junior’s camp have denied reaching an agreement on personal terms with Arsenal, but the move reportedly appeals to the player as his Real Madrid extension talks continue to stall.
On Friday evening, football insider Hand of Arsenal exclusively claimed that Arsenal had agreed personal terms in principle with Vinicius Junior of Real Madrid.
The report added that Arsenal had made a ‘monstrous offer’, and that the player’s agency would now take that into negotiations with Real Madrid.
For context, Vinicius’ camp are attempting to agree a contract extension with his current club, but so far Real have refused to up their offer.
From an Arsenal perspective, the hope is that Real will maintain that refusal, and that they’ll agree to sell to avoid Vinicius running down his contract and leaving for nothing next summer.
Hand of Arsenal added that they expect Vinicius’ agency Roc Nation to deny Arsenal’s agreement, insisting that they’ll stand by the information anyway.
Unsurprisingly, Spanish journalist Ramon Alvarez de Mon reported on Saturday morning that Vinicius’ entourage have indeed denied the agreement.
Yet David Ornstein, Mario Cortegana, and James McNicholas report for The Athletic that the player’s future remains up in the air, that Arsenal’s ownership have approved a potential deal, and that the transfer appeals to Vinicius if he doesn’t renew his contract.
The Athletic’s report adds that there are key figures at Madrid who apparently favour selling this summer, if Vinicius doesn’t agree an extension.
Though the report stops short of confirming an agreement on personal terms with Arsenal, it suggests such an agreement is “expected to be found”, whilst the financial differences between Real and Vinicius remain significant.
Vinicius is open to lowering his demands, but it’s unclear whether that would be enough to bridge the gap. Arsenal fans will hope it isn’t.
Arsenal have reportedly been working behind the scenes for months, and Andrea Berta has held talks with the player’s camp, conveying that he would be the star of the Gunners’ project.
It’s seemingly all up to the player now.
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