"His arrival has become a matter of time": Arsenal roll out the red carpet for a Real Madrid star

Arsenal are pressing ahead with their efforts to sign the Real Madrid star, placing him at the top of their priorities to strengthen the left wing position, amid growing optimism within the London club over the possibility of completing the deal.

The "Football Transfers" website reports that Arsenal's hierarchy are growing increasingly confident they can lure Vinicius Junior to north London. Some sources close to the club now treat his arrival as a matter of when, not if.

That confidence rests on previous attempts to sign the Brazilian, and on a belief inside the club that its sporting project can still persuade him to try something new in the Premier League.

Arsenal chased the winger last summer but couldn't talk him out of Real Madrid. He chose to stay in the Spanish capital and signed a new deal running until 2032.

The failed pursuit didn't push the Gunners into a compromise. Rather than sign a replacement they weren't convinced by, they held onto their resources and waited for a fresh chance to get back around the negotiating table.

Renewing his contract did nothing to cool Arsenal's interest, especially with questions mounting over his long-term future at the Bernabeu.

So far this season the Brazilian hasn't hit the levels expected of him. The hefty financial perks in his new deal have fed into an ongoing debate over whether keeping him is worth it, given that his performances haven't matched the money.

Doubts over his place in the side grew sharper when Real Madrid thrived under Jose Mourinho largely without him, during his four-match La Liga suspension before the international break.

Worse still, the player now risks losing his starting spot to Ivorian Yan Diomande, a new arrival pushing to nail down a place in the lineup. That could force a wholesale reassessment of the Brazilian's situation.

Two goals for his country in the 3-2 defeat to Japan gave him a lift, but his international form doesn't answer the questions over his displays at Real Madrid. It may at least boost his morale when he returns to the club.

Arsenal reckon the growing gap between his standing and his output could make a departure more realistic, particularly if he can't force his way back into the coaching staff's plans.

Mikel Arteta remains desperate to sign Vinicius and shows no sign of abandoning a target he has made a priority.

The website points to Martin Zubimendi, who joined Arsenal in 2025 after years of monitoring and false starts, as proof of the Spaniard's patience. Arteta will wait for a player he sees as right for his project rather than rush into alternatives that don't move the needle.

Sources close to the club say a firm conviction has taken root in recent weeks: Vinicius can be signed early next summer, based on how the previous talks played out.

According to the website, Arsenal believed they had offered the player the most attractive project, and that they would have become his only realistic destination had he not struck an agreement with Real Madrid over his new contract. One of the player's representatives told the site the London club "rolled out the red carpet" during their pursuit.

Money isn't the only source of that confidence. The club have the financial muscle and the stature to pull off a deal of this scale, and they can sell Vinicius as a central face of their sporting and marketing project in the Premier League.

Michael Yormark, president of "Roc Nation Sports International", underlined the pull of Arsenal's standing, reinforcing the belief inside the club that they can compete with Real Madrid for the player.

Don't expect Arsenal to move in January. A transfer won't be possible before the summer at the earliest. Even so, his place at the top of the target list may shape the club's winter dealings, because the management have no interest in spending on a left winger simply to pad out their options, unless an injury crisis forces their hand.

That doesn't mean Vinicius is the only name in the frame. Arteta's approach is built on signing a winger who can lift the team, not just another body in the squad.

And so the Brazilian stays the main target while the club wait on developments in Madrid, hoping the conditions line up to revive the talks that stalled last summer.