Arsenal and Liverpool are reportedly keen on signing Vinicius Junior, with Real Madrid open to the possibility of cashing in on the Brazilian attacker.
According to a report from Spanish outlet OK Diario, Premier League giants Arsenal and Liverpool are interested in making a move for Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior, who could be sold by the La Liga champions.
Regarded as the next crown jewel of Brazilian football, Vinicius arrived at Real Madrid in 2018 from Flamengo amid huge expectations. And for some time, it looked like the 20-year-old would fulfil those expectations, as he was fast-tracked into the first-team setup after just five appearances for the Castilla outfit in his first season at the club.
After enjoying a couple of solid seasons with the Merengues, Vinicius Junior now finds himself way down the pecking order under manager Zinedine Zidane. Indeed, the likes of Marco Asensio, Lucas Vazquez, Eden Hazard as well as fellow compatriot Rodrygo Goes are all ahead of him in the manager’s order of preference.
As a result, Vinicius has seen game time come at a premium in the ongoing season. He has made 23 appearances across all competitions thus far, scoring and assisting three goals apiece. However, only eight of those have been starts in La Liga, while he was one of Real Madrid’s poorest performers in the shock Copa del Rey defeat to Alcoyano.
With Real Madrid operating on a tight budget due to coronavirus and renovation costs of the Santiago Bernabeu, they are now prepared to sell Vinicius in order to generate funds to make a move for top transfer target Kylian Mbappe in the summer. And, Vinicius’ potential availability on a transfer has piqued the interest of Arsenal and Liverpool.
Arsenal have previously been linked with a loan move for Vinicius and could be intrigued by the possibility of signing him on a permanent basis as they are in need of more ammunition from the wide areas. Nicolas Pepe has failed to justify his club-record transfer fee since arriving in 2019 while last summer’s signing, Willian, has been quite poor as well.
This has left Bukayo Saka to do the heavy-lifting from out wide, as Gabriel Martinelli continues to battle injury problems and captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang struggles for form. So adding a player like Vinicius, with plenty of untapped potential, can add more quality to the Gunners’ frontline.
However, they will have to face competition from fellow Premier League rivals Liverpool. The Reds strengthened their attack in the summer with the signing of Diogo Jota, who had settled in quite well before getting sidelined with a serious injury.
But, the likes of Xherdan Shaqiri and Divock Origi are facing uncertain futures at Anfield, with the latter attracting interest from RB Leipzig. In case the duo end up leaving this month or at the end of the season, a new forward would become a necessity for Liverpool, with the talented Vinicius being a viable target for the Premier League champions.
Apart from Liverpool and Arsenal, PSG are said to be interested in the one-time capped Brazilian international as well. It, however, remains to be seen if any of the clubs do act on their interest in Vinicius in the summer.