Arsenal handed second chance? Vini Jr’s latest decision widens Real Madrid rift

News

Robin Bairner | Chief Editor

Could Arsenal get a second chance at signing Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior, despite the Brazil international recently penning a five-year deal with the Bernabeu club? Tension in the Spanish capital indicates it should not be ruled out.

Arsenal were interested in making a blockbuster move for Vini Jr in the summer, with Spanish reports in early August even indicating that certain members of the Premier League champions’ squad felt it was a done deal.

Mikel Arteta’s side were ready to go to extraordinary lengths to complete a deal as they sought to take advantage of a contract impasse between the Brazilian and his club.

Current ETV

Vinícius Júnior

F (CL), M (L)

Real Madrid

Vinícius Júnior

F (CL), M (L)

Real Madrid

€86.6M

ETV Range

€78M - €95.3M

View full profile

Months of talks, though, eventually resulted in Real Madrid making a breakthrough to secure Vinicius to a five-year agreement, although AS reports that the fragile relationship between attacker and club, which stalled the contract talks, remains.

Vini’s bond with a section of the Real Madrid support remains tense, and his decision not to display a T-shirt in support of Ceuta prior to Tuesday’s La Liga clash with Elche threatens to inflame those tensions.

All this plays into the hands of Arsenal should they wish to revisit the transfer.

Vini Jr threatens to inflame tensions with Real Madrid fans

Vini has never been afraid to speak out for himself, yet the backlash against his attitude when he was taken off by Xabi Alonso in El Clasico in October 2025 continues.

“His misguidedly outspoken nature generated widespread antipathy that extended to the stadium when he spoiled the happy afternoon of a Clasico victory by turning against Xabi Alonso, whose results had been almost flawless until then,” AS states.

“In this sour spiral, he allowed himself to be courted by Saudi Arabian football and Arsenal, while stalling for over a year with a Real Madrid side that wanted to renew his contract.”

Madrid won 2-1 that day, but the dressing room was split and results dipped. President Florentino Perez backed Vini Jr and Alonso left the club in mid-January to be replaced by Alvaro Arbeloa in a disastrous move.

Now Vini has once again threatened to inflame the anger of the support by hiding a T-shirt in support of Ceuta, the Spanish enclave in North Africa at the heart of a migrant crisis.

Along with Kylian Mbappe and Ibrahima Konate, he did not display his support for the Spanish citizens in this situation.

While the club insists that it is happy for players to express their individual choice, the ultras groups of Real Madrid are strongly Spanish nationalist and are unlikely to greet the trio’s stance positively.

Arsenal can profit from Madrid chaos

All this is relevant to Arsenal because Vinicius is a player who has shown that he operates at his best level only when he feels truly loved.

This was once the case in Madrid, but it is no longer. Instead, the rift between Vini Jr and the fans is threatening to open up again, even if he continues to receive the backing from those at the very top of the club.

Vinicius’ new contract appeared designed to put an end to rumours around his future. Instead, it seems to have simply postponed them – as well as ensuring that Real Madrid will not see him leave as a free agent.

Given he retains the clear and unwavering support of president Florentino Perez, January is too soon for his issues to trigger an exit, but come next summer, don’t be surprised if Arsenal are back and making another offer for the superstar forward.