Mourinho reveals how he convinced Vinicius Junior to shun Arsenal and extend Real Madrid stay | OneFootball

Jose Mourinho has revealed the conversation he had with Vinicius Junior that helped the Brazilian forward decide to extend his stay with Real Madrid this summer, amid strong Arsenal interest.

The electric winger had entered into the final 12 months of his previous deal at the Santiago Bernabeu, meaning he would have been able to depart the LaLiga giants on a free transfer at the end of the 2026/27 campaign.

Given that state of play, Arsenal were alerted to the potential of a spectacular signing coup and initially made contact with Vinicius‘ camp over the winter after a second round of contract talks between the player and Real had collapsed.

With little having changed as the months wore on, the reigning Premier League champions had high hopes of securing a deal for the Real superstar up until a fortnight ago.

However, the return of Mourinho as manager appeared to work wonders for Real Madrid as Vinicius went on to sign a six-year deal with Los Blancos, tying him to the Spanish giants until 2026.

Vinicius made his return for Madrid during the pre-season clash with Deportivo La Coruna last week, leaving Arsenal to contemplate moves for other targets instead.

And, in a wide-ranging interview with El Chiringuito’s Josep Pedrerol, Mourinho opened up on his role in managing to convince Vinicius to snub a move to London and remain in Madrid instead.

Asked if Vinicius’ renewal was solely down to him, Mourinho replied: “No… what? Because of me?

Pressed on whether he spoke to the attacker about staying in Madrid, the Portuguese tactician responded: “Obviously I talked to him, but Vinicius has fallen in love with Real Madrid.

“The only thing I told him was: ‘Vini, where do you want to go? You’ve only been in Brazil and you only know Real Madrid… You only understand Real Madrid when you leave. When you leave… that’s when you realise what Real Madrid is. Don’t leave. It’s not worth it.’

“I think what he has felt in terms of the group’s growth, the way we’ve been working and developing, has given him a very important feeling.

“Vinicius is another machine – it’s a pleasure to watch him work.

“We have a lot of quality.”

Arsenal star tipped for Real Madrid switch

Meanwhile, journalist Alex Crook insists he “wouldn’t rule out” Martin Zubimendi leaving Arsenal to sign for Real Madrid before the transfer deadline.

The Spain international enjoyed an outstanding first half of the campaign in north London, but his form faded badly after Christmas and led to speculation that the Gunners could try and cash in on a player who Real had eyes on before he moved to England.

And Crook thinks Arsenal could look to part ways with Zubimendi in order to raise funds for further additions to Arteta’s squad, with the player primed for Real after they missed out on Rodri to bitter rivals Barcelona.

Crook said on talkSPORT: “They need to sell somebody, if you look at the absentees from the squad [in the Community Shield] – no Gabriel Martinelli, no Gabriel Jesus…

“They’re in this luxurious position where they’ve got at least two players for every position, they’ve almost got too many players.

“I wouldn’t rule out Zubimendi going to Real Madrid.”