Arsenal get new Vinicius Jr update after development in transfer saga | OneFootball

Gunners were said to have made breakthrough in pursuit of Real Madrid superstar

Vinicius Junior has reported back to Real Madrid amid growing speculation over a blockbuster summer transfer to Arsenal.

The Brazil superstar was seen arriving at Madrid’s Ciudad Real Madrid Florentino Perez training ground in Valdebebas on Monday morning.

That is after returning Los Blancos boss Jose Mourinho confirmed following Sunday’s 2-2 friendly draw with Fiorentina in Austria that Vinicius Jr would indeed be back for pre-season training on Monday as expected, along with Brahim Diaz and new signing Bernardo Silva.

Vinicius Jr has been on holiday following the World Cup, where Brazil were stunned 2-1 by Norway in the round of 16 on July 5.

Talks are expected to continue between the 26-year-old’s representatives and Madrid, where he has now entered the final 12 months of his contract.

The lack of progress over an extension at the Bernabeu has led to interest from Arsenal, who are ready to move for Vinicius Jr if the opportunity presents itself.

The Independent reported over the weekend that Arsenal had made progress towards a move for Vinicius Jr that would surely go down as the most ambitious transfer in their history, having agreed the outline of a personal deal.

ESPN, meanwhile, said that Madrid were open to the possibility of the forward leaving the club if there was no agreement over a new contract amid a refusal to increase their most recent renewal offer as a long-running stand-off continues.

Madrid have seen their move for RB Leipzig winger Yan Diomande worth more than £100million stall, while they remain in pursuit of Manchester City star Rodri after already signing Marc Cucurella, Denzel Dumfries, Bernardo Silva, Ibrahima Konate and Carlos Espi so far this summer.

Premier League champions Arsenal, meanwhile, look poised to wrap up their long-running pursuit of Vinicius Jr’s Brazil team-mate Bruno Guimaraes, who is widely expected to undergo a medical on Monday with an £80m switch from Newcastle now close to being finalised.

Like Vinicius Jr, Guimaraes had been due to return from his post-World Cup break on Monday, joining the Newcastle squad at their pre-season training camp in La Manga, Spain.

However, that no longer looks to be the case as he instead closes in on joining Arsenal, with Newcastle now said to be looking at Inter Milan midfielder Petar Sucic as a potential replacement after confirming the £25m signing of Czech Republic goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek from Portuguese club Braga.

Arsenal have signed winger Christos Tzolis and goalkeeper Illan Meslier so far this summer, in addition to converting defender Piero Hincapie’s loan move from Bayer Leverkusen into a permanent deal.