Jose Mourinho has revealed he told Vinicius Junior that leaving Real Madrid for Arsenal was "not worth it". The Brazil international was strongly linked with a move to Emirates Stadium before he chose to sign a contract extension after a meeting between his agents, the Real hierarchy and Mourinho.
Contract extension and Mourinho's intervention
The 26-year-old had less than a year left on his previous deal with negotiations over fresh terms stalling due to his salary demands. Ultimately, Los Blancos agreed to meet his wage requirements and he is now contracted to the club until 2032.
Ahead of the new season, Mourinho spoke on a number of topics to Spanish outlet El Chiringuito TV with Vinicius discussed. "Obviously I talked to him, but Vinicius has fallen in love with Real Madrid," Mourinho revealed.
"The only thing I told him was: 'Vini, where do you want to go? You've only been in Brazil and you only know Real Madrid… You only understand Real Madrid when you leave. When you leave, that's when you realise what Real Madrid is. Don't leave. It's not worth it'."
Arsenal's alternative targets
"I think what he has felt in terms of the group's growth, the way we've been working and developing, has given him a very important feeling," Mourinho added. "Vinicius is another machine – it's a pleasure to watch him work. We have a lot of quality."
Arsenal pivoted to a sensational deal for Vinicius after Chelsea signed Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa for £117million. Following his decision, a defensive addition seemingly became the priority with links to Jarell Quansah of Bayer Leverkusen and Barcelona's Jules Kounde emerging.
Aston Villa star Ezri Konsa remained the club's top target throughout and according to The Athletic, Arsenal are closing in on signing him.
Konsa deal progressing
With owners from both clubs now involved to negotiate a final fee, the deal is advancing. Arsenal face a race against time to have him registered for their opening clash of the season against Coventry on Friday night.
Even if the relevant documents are complete by 12pm, he is unlikely to feature having not yet had a pre-season due to his participation in the World Cup.
Konsa played alongside Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke for England and mostly played at centre-back but did feature at right-back. His versatility is a key attribute and something Arteta prefers all of his defenders to have.
