Vinicius Jr's Return Sparks Transfer Countdown at Real Madrid
Vinicius Jr will walk back through the doors at Valdebebas on Monday, but this no longer feels like a routine pre-season return. It feels like the start of a countdown.
Jose Mourinho confirmed after Real Madrid’s 2-2 friendly draw with Fiorentina in Austria that Vinicius, Brahim Diaz and new signing Bernardo Silva are all due back for training as planned. On the surface, it is business as usual. Underneath, the tension is obvious.
The 26-year-old has been on holiday since Brazil’s World Cup exit, a shock 2-1 defeat to Norway in the last 16 on July 5. While he has been away, his future has moved steadily towards a crossroads.
Vinicius has entered the final 12 months of his contract. Talks between his camp and Madrid are expected to continue, but progress has stalled. The club are refusing to improve their latest renewal offer, and the stand-off has opened the door for one of the most audacious transfer plays English football has seen in years.
Arsenal are waiting.
The Independent reported over the weekend that the Premier League champions have already made headway on a move that would redefine their ambition, having agreed the outline of a personal deal with the Brazilian. The message is clear: if Madrid blink, Arsenal are ready.
ESPN have reported that Madrid are open to letting Vinicius leave if no agreement is reached on a new contract. For a player who has been central to their recent success, that is a hard line. But Madrid’s summer has not followed a simple script.
Their pursuit of RB Leipzig winger Yan Diomande, in a deal worth more than £100million, has stalled. They remain locked on to Manchester City midfielder Rodri as another marquee target, after already completing a flurry of signings: Marc Cucurella, Denzel Dumfries, Bernardo Silva, Ibrahima Konate and Carlos Espi have all arrived.
This is a squad being reshaped at speed. Vinicius sits right at the fault line between the old and the new.
Across the Channel, Arsenal are reshaping too, but from a position of strength. While they circle Vinicius, they are also closing in on another Brazil international: Bruno Guimaraes.
The Newcastle midfielder is widely expected to undergo a medical on Monday ahead of an £80m move to the Emirates, a long-running pursuit finally nearing completion. Like Vinicius, Guimaraes had been scheduled to report back from his post-World Cup break on Monday, rejoining Newcastle at their pre-season camp in La Manga, Spain.
That plan is now set to be ripped up.
Instead of La Manga, his next stop looks likely to be London. Newcastle, already braced for his departure, have moved on to contingency mode. They are looking at Inter Milan midfielder Petar Sucic as a potential replacement, having just confirmed the £25m signing of Czech Republic goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek from Braga.
So Monday becomes a pivotal day on two fronts. Vinicius Jr will return to Madrid’s training ground with cameras tracking his every step, his contract unresolved and Arsenal hovering. Bruno Guimaraes is expected to edge towards Arsenal, leaving Newcastle to rebuild on the fly.
One Brazilian walking towards an uncertain future at the Bernabeu. Another seemingly on the verge of swapping Tyneside for a title defence in north London.
If Arsenal land both, how much longer can Madrid afford to gamble on Vinicius Jr’s signature?
