Arsenal supporters have been sent into a transfer frenzy after Mikel Arteta smirked when asked whether Vinicius Junior would be joining the club. The reaction came after the Gunners' pre-season victory over Girona in Spain on Saturday evening.
Monitoring Vinicius Junior
Standard Sport understands Arsenal are keeping a close eye on Vinicius Junior's situation at Real Madrid. The Gunners are interested in signing the Brazil international should he become available, and the conditions for a deal are being examined.
The 26-year-old has entered the final year of his contract at the Santiago Bernabeu and is currently negotiating an extension. According to The Athletic, clarity on his future is expected in the coming days.
Pre-season win and 'transfer grin'
The update came shortly before Arsenal cruised to a pre-season victory over Girona on Saturday evening, with Kai Havertz, Christos Tzolis, Max Dowman and Gabriel Jesus all scoring.
After the match, reporter Isaan Khan jokingly asked Arteta when Vinicius Junior would join Arsenal. The Spaniard's smirk in response was enough to send some fans into overdrive on social media.
Supporters have compared it to Arsene Wenger's famous 'transfer grin' - the Frenchman was known for smiling when asked about players he was about to sign, including Santi Cazorla, Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez.
Arteta calls for ambition
Earlier in the week, Arteta urged Arsenal to be ambitious in the transfer market after their Premier League title triumph. He said: "This has to be the start and this has to be the standard. Excellence has to be our standard and this has to drive to attack the future. The way we behave daily with more and more determination and ambition because we've shown that we've got it. Now we have to show that we belong to this level and we want to increase and take this football club to a different dimension."
