Despite a quiet summer so far in the transfer market for Premier League champions Arsenal, manager Mikel Arteta insists the club will be “very ambitious” when it comes to new arrivals this summer.
Having won their first top-flight crown since 2004 last season, when they finished seven points clear at the top, Arsenal have had a low-key window so far, especially in comparison to rivals Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and last season's runners-up Manchester City.
Goalkeeper Illan Meslier (free transfer from Leeds United) and forward Christos Tzolis (£34 million from Club Brugge) have arrived at the Emirates Stadium, while defender Piero Hincapie's loan move from Bayer Leverkusen became a (£34.5m) permanent one.
But the Gunners have been linked to two transfers that would certainly come in the “very ambitious” bracket. “We expect to have movements in the next few weeks, obviously,” said Arteta after his side's 4-1 pre-season win over Girona, without naming any targets.
“We want to get better like anybody else, and you can see the transfer market and our opponents. We won't sit still and we are very ambitious with what we are doing.”
The first deal appears to be close to completion with reports suggesting that Newcastle United captain Bruno Guimaraes could complete an £80m switch in the next few days.
Midfielder Guimaraes spent the summer away on World Cup duty with Brazil where he supplied four assists as the South Americans were knocked out in the last-16 by Erling Haaland's Norway.
The 28-year-old has just enjoyed the most prolific campaign of his club career at Newcastle having finished the 2025/26 season with nine goals and eight assists from 41 appearances.
But an even bigger name the Gunners have been linked to is Guimaraes's Brazil teammate Vinicius Junior, currently plying his trade with Spanish giants Real Madrid. Below we take a look at the chances of Vinicius swapping the Spanish capital for the English one.
What is Vinicius's situation at Real?
The 26-year-old attacker is due to return from World Cup duty this week, having scored four goals and provided one assist for Brazil, with his contract situation still up in the air. His current deal at Real ends in 2027 with no new agreement having been reached.
Vinicius arrived in Madrid from Flamengo for €45 million in 2018 after he turned 18 and quickly established himself as a key member of the Los Blancos squad.
He has since made 375 appearances – scoring 128 and assisting a further 100 – for Real, helping them win two Fifa Club World Cups, Uefa Super Cups and Uefa Champions Leagues, as well as three La Liga titles and three Spanish Super Cups.
But the last two seasons have not gone to plan for Vinicius or Real who have not lifted any silverware since 2024. The last campaign was a particularly turbulent one with Xabi Alonso being sacked as manager after less than eight months in charge while his replacement Alvaro Arbeloa was gone by June.
The Athletic reported that Vinicius was offered a new €20m net per season deal in January that he turned down, while it is believed the Brazilian's demands of close to €30m – including a renewal bonus – have since been knocked back by the club.
Can Arsenal afford him?
It emerged late last month that Arsenal were exploring a move for a player who would clearly give their attack an immediate boost as they look to defend their domestic crown, while also attempting to go one better in the Champions League where they finished runners-up to Paris Saint-Germain last season.
Arsenal's previous record signing was England midfielder Declan Rice who joined from West Ham United for £105m in 2023. Their biggest wage earner is Bukayo Saka who is believed to be on around £300,000 per week. They would clearly have to blow both of those figures out of the water to bring in Vinicius.
Reports suggest it would take close to £140m for a sale to even be considered by Real, while his wages at the moment are around £400,000 per week. It would be a superstar signing in every way for Arsenal.
How would he cope with Mourinho?
One of Alonso's downfalls last season was the reluctance of the likes of Vinicius, Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe to adapt their play and accept the new manager's preference for more intensity, pressing and tactical instruction. All of which were a far cry from the freedom bestowed on the superstar talents on and off the pitch by previous coach Carlo Ancelotti.
Vinicius's frustrations became all too public when he stormed off down the tunnel after being substituted in the 72nd minute of Madrid's Clasico win over Barcelona. A public apology followed that included everyone at Madrid bar Alonso, who would be gone two months later.
But this summer has seen the return of Jose Mourinho – the ultimate in pragmatic coaches – to Madrid. Mourinho has never shown any fear of upsetting star turns during his coaching career. Vinicius would surely be no different.
It was only last season that 63-year-old Mourinho was involved in a highly-controversial spat with Vinicius while in charge of Portuguese side Benfica.
During their Champions League match in February, Vinicius accused Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni of racist abuse, something denied by the Argentine. After the match, Mourinho claimed Vinicius had been disrespectful by over-celebrating after scoring and had incited the crowd while maintaining that his player had denied the accusation.
“Racists are, above all, cowards,” Vinicius, who has regularly been on the receiving end of racist abuse in Spain, while in Spain would say on Instagram. “They need to put their shirts in their mouths to demonstrate how weak they are.”
Prestianni was later banned for six European matches after being found guilty of disparaging rather than racist abuse. The incident will surely be on the list of talking points when Vinicius and Mourinho meet again this week.
