Gary Neville has said Vinicius Junior would have been a 'spectacular' signing for Arsenal but he is 'not surprised' the Brazilian forward prefers to stay at Real Madrid. Vinicius has entered the final 12 months of his contract at the Bernabeu, and contract renewal talks have stalled, prompting interest from the Premier League champions.
Contract uncertainty sparks Arsenal interest
Arsenal, who won the Premier League title, had a bid for the 26-year-old approved at all levels of the club's hierarchy. However, Vinicius is said to have prioritised resolving his future with Real Madrid and is keen to extend his deal beyond next season.
Madrid have no intention of losing Vinicius, with Jose Mourinho urging club officials to do everything possible to keep him. According to Madrid-based publication AS, Vinicius' camp plans to meet with club officials in Valdebebas next week to negotiate an extension.
Neville's take on the transfer saga
Speaking on Sky Sports, Neville commented on the rumour: 'I just saw the rumour, I didn’t know how much truth there was in it. Obviously it would have been a spectacular signing but I’m not surprised that he would stay in Madrid.'
He added: 'We do want great players in the Premier League but my view on the Premier League is that it has been at its best since it began through the best managers being in the Premier League and then the best teams tend to follow. So I’m more interested in the best managers coming into the Premier League than the players. We very rarely beat Barcelona and Real Madrid to the top players in the world and that’s been something that’s happened historically over the last 30, 40, 50 years.'
Vinicius' loyalty to Madrid
AS editor-in-chief Tomas Roncero revealed that Vinicius has told close friends he wants his future resolved quickly to avoid Madrid losing him for free next summer. Roncero told Cadena SER's El Larguero programme: 'In recent weeks, he’s been saying to those around him that he doesn’t want to leave without Real Madrid receiving a single euro: "I can’t leave Madrid for free because Madrid took me in when I was 18, from a humble family, with a difficult social and personal situation, and they believed in me."
Roncero added: 'They paid €45m euros when it was just a gamble, a promise, nothing more, "Madrid has given me everything, I can’t leave without leaving a single euro in the bank", I’m saying what he’s telling his friends.' Although reluctant to speak for those around Vinicius, Roncero insisted the player himself is intent on avoiding free agency: 'Maybe his agents are more calculating when it comes to negotiations, but that’s what Vinicius is saying, that he can’t leave Madrid for free.'
