Arsenal target Vinicius set to remain at Real Madrid beyond this season | OneFootball

Arsenal were eyeing a move for Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior. The Gunners believed they had an opportunity to snap up the Brazilian and wanted to seize it.

However, according to Sky Sports, Arsenal are set to miss out on the forward as he’ll be staying beyond this summer.

The Spanish club have no intention of selling the Arsenal target and are confident he will agree a new contract, despite talks stalling.

The North London giants are revamping their frontline. Leandro Trossard has left after years of excellent service to the club, and they brought in Christos Tzolis to replace him.

Arsenal are also reportedly open to selling Gabriel Martinelli, who has failed to hit the standards of the 2022/23 season.

Mikel Arteta’s side are looking to move on from him, and Vinicius would have been the perfect replacement for his Brazilian counterpart.

The Gunners were prepared to make him the highest-paid player at the club, improving upon his current £400,000-per-week deal.

The ‘decisive‘ forward was also valued at €160 million, making the transfer extremely expensive.

Even if Arsenal had managed to convince Vinicius Jr to consider a switch, completing the transfer was always going to be a challenge because of the financial package.

The Gunners have already shown this summer that they are unwilling to stretch beyond their valuation for elite attacking targets.

They stepped back from potential moves for Morgan Rogers and Bradley Barcola once the asking prices became excessive.

Vinicius always belonged in that same bracket, making this more of an ambitious opportunity than a realistic pursuit.

With that door now firmly closed, Arsenal’s recruitment team must turn their attention to more attainable options.

Strengthening the left wing remains a priority, but finding a high-quality player who fits both Arteta’s system and the club’s financial framework will now be the focus.