Mourinho insists Vinicius Jr must stay at Real Madrid amid Arsenal interest

Jose Mourinho has made clear to Real Madrid’s hierarchy that Vinicius Junior is “untouchable” and must not be sold to Arsenal, despite the Premier League club’s concrete interest in the Brazilian forward.

Vinicius, whose contract with Real Madrid runs out next summer, has been linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium after the Spanish club failed so far to agree an extension with the 24-year-old.

According to The Telegraph, Mourinho, recently appointed as Real Madrid head coach, has told the board he is firmly against allowing Vinicius to leave and wants to retain all of the club’s senior stars for next season.

Arsenal’s interest described as ‘real’
The Athletic reports that Arsenal’s pursuit of Vinicius is genuine, but that sources inside Real Madrid say Mourinho has been unequivocal in insisting that his core players are not to be included in any transfer discussions.

Mourinho is understood to be building his plans for the new campaign around an attacking framework that includes Vinicius, Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham, and has communicated that he sees all three as fundamental to his first-team set-up.

While Arsenal’s move for Vinicius is still at an early stage, the very fact they are exploring such a deal is seen as a reflection of the club’s rapid progress in recent seasons.

Arsenal’s changing status
The reports suggest that, following Arsenal’s Premier League title win and their run to the Champions League final, the north London side now consider themselves capable of competing for some of the game’s elite talents – a marked contrast to the situation Mikel Arteta inherited when he took over as manager.

Where once Arsenal would have been outsiders in the race for players of Vinicius’s calibre, their recent domestic and European achievements have strengthened their hand in the transfer market.

Financial obstacle for Arsenal
Telegraph Sport adds that Mourinho’s opposition to the transfer is clear and emphatic, and that Arsenal would also face significant financial hurdles even if Real Madrid’s stance were to soften.

Vinicius is reported to earn in the region of £400,000 per week, a salary that would make him the highest-paid player at Arsenal and place major strain on the club’s wage structure before any transfer fee is taken into account.

Any deal would therefore require not only Real Madrid’s approval – which Mourinho is currently resisting – but also a willingness from Arsenal to reshape their budget around one of the most expensive contracts in world football.

For now, Mourinho’s position leaves Arsenal’s interest at the exploratory stage, with Real Madrid’s new head coach determined to keep Vinicius and the rest of his leading lights out of any sale negotiations as he prepares for the new season.