Arsenal surprises with plan to sign Brazil's top star from the 2026 World Cup

Arsenal has surprised the transfer market with its plan to bring in Vinícius Júnior from Real Madrid.

The reigning Premier League champions are reportedly making inquiries about the possibility of acquiring the Brazilian international, who has only one year left on his contract with the Bernabéu club.

According to multiple sources, the deal is still in the exploratory phase as manager Mikel Arteta wants to bring in a world-class star to further elevate the squad after winning their first domestic title in over 20 years.

Vinícius, 26, is seen as the type of player fitting that ambition. Besides the Real Madrid star, Arsenal is also monitoring Julián Álvarez (Atlético Madrid), Yan Diomande (RB Leipzig), and Bradley Barcola (Paris Saint-Germain).

Last season, Vinícius scored 22 goals for Real Madrid and added 4 for Brazil in the 2026 World Cup, further cementing his status as one of the world's best attacking players.

On the other hand, Arsenal has just strengthened their attack with a £34 million signing of Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge. The Gunners also pursued Morgan Rogers but were unwilling to pay more than £80 million for the English international. Ultimately, Chelsea outbid them with a record British fee of £117 million to secure the player.

Vinícius's future at Real Madrid is becoming uncertain after José Mourinho returned to manage the Royal club on a three-year contract. With the Brazilian striker's contract approaching expiration, Real is reportedly considering selling him this summer to avoid losing him for free in a year.

Mourinho also faced criticism for his comments regarding Vinícius's accusation that Gianluca Prestianni (Benfica) engaged in discriminatory behavior during a Champions League match in February.

At that time, the Portuguese tactician, who was still coaching Benfica, said: "There's always something happening" in matches involving Vinícius. Later, Prestianni was suspended for six matches after admitting to using discriminatory language against the Brazilian star.

Besides Tzolis, Arsenal had previously completed the permanent signing of Piero Hincapié after a loan spell and acquired goalkeeper Illan Meslier on a free transfer from Leeds United.

Not stopping there, the Emirates Stadium side has shown special interest in Bruno Guimarães. After Newcastle's 1-1 draw with Gateshead in a friendly series last weekend, manager Eddie Howe shared: "We don't want to lose our most important players. I've spoken to Bruno many times before, during, and after the World Cup. He's a wonderful person."

However, the English manager refused to make any commitments about the Brazilian midfielder's future: "I don't know what will happen with Bruno. That's a topic for people to keep discussing."