Vinicius Junior, a Brazilian winger, reportedly turned down Real Madrid’s most recent contract offer, giving Arsenal further motivation to pursue him.

The Brazil international’s current contract is about to expire, and talks over an extension have apparently hit yet another roadblock.

Vinicius rejected a fresh offer from Real Madrid for slightly more than £360,000 a week, according to Cadena SER. The 26-year-old reportedly wanted to be on level with teammate Kylian Mbappé, who is thought to make about £500,000 per week.

According to the source, negotiations are still at a standstill and the winger is now “closer to a transfer than a renewal.”

Vinicius and Real Madrid have unable to come to an agreement, which raises the prospect of a sale before the transfer window shuts even if he wants to avoid leaving as a free agent next summer.

José Mourinho, the manager of Real Madrid, is reportedly eager to keep the Brazilian because he sees him as a crucial component of his plans for the upcoming campaign.

According to reports, Arsenal is closely monitoring events, and manager Mikel Arteta has designated Vinicius as a top target to bolster the Premier League winners’ offensive.

It is anticipated that the North London club will only take action if it is evident that the player’s contract negotiations with Real Madrid have fully collapsed.

Since joining from Flamengo in 2018, Vinicius has made a name for himself as one of Europe’s top forwards, scoring 128 goals in 376 games while assisting Madrid in winning numerous national and international championships.

The Brazilian has previously referred to Real Madrid as “the club of my dreams” and stated that he expects to stay with the Spanish powerhouses for many years, despite the uncertainty surrounding his contract.

For the time being, whether Real Madrid and Vinicius can come to an agreement before his current contract enters its last months seems to be the key to Arsenal’s ambitions of completing a blockbuster trade.