Arsenal are being heavily linked with a blockbuster move for Real Madrid winger Vinicius Jr, who is locked in a contract stand-off with the Spanish giants
Arsenal are set to ramp up their summer transfer window having adopted a cautious strategy to start the summer.
Christos Tzolis remains their sole significant addition following a £34million agreement to secure the Greek winger from Club Brugge last month. While Piero Hincapie’s temporary move from Bayer Leverkusen has also become permanent after Arsenal activated the defender’s £34.5m purchase option, and goalkeeper Illan Meslier joined on a free transfer after his Leeds contract expired.
Nevertheless, Mikel Arteta’s team are still awaiting the sort of marquee acquisition many fans anticipated before their first Premier League title defence in over two decades, with Vinicius Junior heavily linked. Here, the Daily Star Sport looks at the most recent Arsenal-related transfer stories.
Real Madrid issue Vinicius Jr update
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Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho has revealed that Vinicius Jr will rejoin training with the remainder of the squad on Monday despite the doubt surrounding his future. The Brazilian attacker remains embroiled in a contractual standoff with the Spanish heavyweights and, with less than 12 months left on his existing terms, tensions continue to escalate on both fronts.
Arsenal are keeping a close eye on developments and stand ready to provide Vinicius Jr with an escape route from the Bernabeu should negotiations break down. Nevertheless, the 26-year-old appears unlikely to take any dramatic steps to engineer a departure.
“On Monday, Vini Jr, Brahim, and Bernardo will arrive,” Mourinho told Real Madrid’s official website. “I’m concerned about not having everyone, and I would like to have three weeks of work with the others. It’s not possible.”
Discussions regarding fresh terms continue, with both camps still optimistic about striking a deal. Yet talks seem to have reached a stalemate and should the deadlock persist, Arsenal will be poised to strike.
Arteta drops major transfer hint
Mikel Arteta has suggested that Arsenal are gearing up for a hectic conclusion to the transfer window, disclosing the club harbour “very ambitious” intentions and urging fans to “expect movements” in the weeks ahead.
The Gunners have been sluggish off the mark in the transfer market this summer, while the remainder of the ‘Big Six’ have splashed nearly £850m collectively on fresh talent. But that appears set to shift, with Arteta maintaining that the club will not “sit still” much longer.
“We are already active and trying to improve on and evolve the team. That is clear,” he said. “We expect to have movements in the next few weeks. Obviously we want to get better like anyone else and you can see the transfer market, and our opponents, what we are doing. We won’t sit still and we are very ambitious with where we want to go.”
Arteta remained tight-lipped on rumours linking Arsenal with a sensational move for Vinicius Jr, responding with a knowing smile and a simple “thank you” when quizzed about the Real Madrid forward.
The Spaniard also emphasised the need to bolster his squad to elevate standards across the board, explaining that Arsenal aim to increase competition for places while addressing any remaining weaknesses ahead of the new season.
“The margins are very small, we want to get better and the level is going to increase,” he said. “We need to increase the competition internally. We need to make sure we identify the things that we don’t have in the team, to have bigger margins. That’s the way we have to think.”