Mikel Arteta breaks silence over Vinicius Jr move as Arsenal grow in confidence

Updated: 2 Aug 2026 08:12 BST | 5 min read

Arsenal Vinicius Junior Mikel Arteta — © IMAGO

Matthew Judge | Editor

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Mikel Arteta has issued a rallying cry over Arsenal’s ambition in the transfer market as the club continue their ambitious pursuit of Vinicius Junior.

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The Athletic’s David Ornstein broke the news that the Gunners were exploring a move to sign Real Madrid superstar Vinicius last weekend.

Brazil international Vinicius has just one year left on his contract with Real, with talks over a renewal believed to be at an impasse.

STATS

Vinícius Júnior

F (CL), M (L)

Real Madrid

Vinícius Júnior

F (CL), M (L)

Real Madrid

53

Games
22

Goals
10

Assists

Spanish outlet Marca claims Real have told the 26-year-old they will look to sell him to Arsenal if he turns down their latest proposal.

And Ornstein understands Vinicius is attracted to the idea of joining Arsenal, should he fail to reach an agreement with La Liga giants Real.

With Arsenal quietly growing in confidence that a blockbuster transfer could materialise, manager Arteta has now broken his silence over Vinicius.

Following Arsenal’s 4-1 win over Girona in pre-season on Saturday, Arteta was put on the spot regarding Vinicius by a group of reporters.

.@IsaanKhan_ to Mikel Arteta:

"When's Vini joining?" 🤣 pic.twitter.com/2gBKGS9RMj
— Hayters TV (@HaytersTV) August 1, 2026

After laughing off an informal question asking ‘When’s Vini joining?’, Arteta was presented with a more serious one by HaytersTV.

Mentioning fan excitement over the links to Vinicius, Arteta was asked if Arsenal supporters can expect more signings this summer.

And Arteta was bullish in his response, saying of the club’s transfer plans: “Well, we are very active, trying to improve and evolve the team, that’s clear.

“We expect to have movements in the next few weeks, obviously, because we want to get better like anybody else and you can just see the transfer market [and] what we are doing.

“We won’t sit still and we are very ambitious about what we want to do.”

While Arteta refused to mention Vinicius by name, his comments will no doubt raise hope within the Arsenal fanbase.

Vinicius Junior is regarded as one of the best players of his generation

After emerging through Flamengo’s youth system in 2017, Vinicius scored 14 goals in 69 games for the Brazilian giants.

He then agreed to join Spanish heavyweights Real in May 2017, with the move becoming effective after he turned 18 in July 2018.

And Vinicius has gone on to become one of the finest players of his generation in Spain, scoring 128 goals in 376 appearances at the Bernabeu.

He has won 14 honours with Real including two Champions League titles in 2022 and 2024, scoring in both finals against Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund respectively.

Vinicius has also scored 13 goals in 54 appearances for Brazil, with four of them coming at this summer’s World Cup in North America.

Arsenal are also pursuing a deal to sign Vinicius’ Brazil team-mate Bruno Guimaraes, though Newcastle United deny formal negotiations have taken place.

The news came after The Times reported on Saturday evening that Arsenal were hoping the 28-year-old would undergo a medical with them on Monday.

Premier League champions Arsenal believe they are close to agreeing a deal worth up to €93m (£80m) for the midfielder, The Times added.

Guimaraes has developed a reputation as one of the best midfielders in the Premier League since joining Newcastle from Lyon in January 2022.

He has scored 31 goals in 195 appearances for the Magpies and helped them win their first domestic trophy for 70 years with victory over Liverpool in the 2025 Carabao Cup final.

Guimaraes also represented Brazil at this summer’s World Cup, recording four assists in five games alongside Vinicius.