Vinicius Jr is close to agreeing a new contract with Real Madrid, according to reports, which would end Arsenal's hopes of signing the Brazilian forward this month.
Arsenal's pursuit
The Gunners were prepared to make a blockbuster move for Vinicius Jr, having already secured a £75m deal for his Brazil team-mate Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle. However, their pursuit depended on Vinicius Jr failing to reach an agreement with Madrid over an extension to his current deal, which has less than a year remaining.
There had been a stand-off between the player and the club in recent months, making a departure from the Bernabeu seem increasingly possible, with Arsenal waiting to take advantage.
Contract talks
Crunch talks between Vinicius Jr's representatives and senior Real Madrid figures took place at the club's Valdebebas training ground on Wednesday, with conflicting reports emerging afterwards. Some outlets suggested Arsenal were growing optimistic about what would be the biggest signing in their history, while others described the meeting as largely positive.
By Wednesday evening, it was widely reported that Madrid and returning boss Jose Mourinho were confident of keeping Vinicius Jr after an improved offer was tabled, with an answer expected within hours.
New deal close
Fabrizio Romano reports that Vinicius Jr is indeed closing in on a new deal following positive talks, with a verbal agreement almost in place and only final details to be ironed out. Mourinho is said to have personally pushed for him to stay.
Spanish outlet Okdiario claim the extension will run for five years until the summer of 2031, with a net annual salary of approximately €25m plus a small increase in image rights.
Vinicius Jr's career
Vinicius Jr joined Madrid from Flamengo in a £40m deal in 2018 and has scored 128 goals with 100 assists in 375 appearances, becoming one of the club's and world football's biggest stars.
It remains to be seen who Arsenal will target next in their search for a statement attacking signing, following the £34m arrival of Greek winger Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge last month.
