Declan Rice, Vinicius Jr., Bukayo Saka (Photo by David Ramos, Florence Tan Jun/Getty Images)
A move from Vinicius Junior to Arsenal may be an exciting move, but some may wonder how realistic it is given the financial implications.
The Real Madrid forward has just one year left at the Bernabéu, but the Brazilian has so far been unable to agree terms on a new contract.
According to Sky Sports, this is because Vinicius is seeking an annual salary of 30 million euros (approximately 2.56 billion yen), double his current salary.
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Spanish football expert Terry Gibson discussed the numbers involved and questioned whether Arsenal or other Premier League clubs could realistically afford it.
Real Madrid have not yet responded to Vinicius Junior’s demands
“Vinicius Junior currently has a net annual salary of 15 million euros,” Gibson said.
“Real Madrid are offering him 20 million euros. He wants 30 million euros, which means a net of just over 550,000 euros a week.”
“Real Madrid’s contract with Vinicius remains intact. Real Madrid are considering potential replacements for Yann Diomande from RB Leipzig. This (contract situation) has been going on for 18 months.”
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“But when you put those numbers in a melting pot, it’s hard to imagine Arsenal or anyone in the Premier League matching that amount.”
Arsenal’s high earners – can they actually afford Vinicius Junior?
Based on Spotrac figures, Bukayo Saka is currently Arsenal’s highest earner on £15.6 million a year.
Therefore, if Vini Junior were to join the Gunners and demand the money he is seeking from Real Madrid, it would be almost double Saka’s current salary.
Saka is Arsenal’s highest-paid player, so it’s easy to imagine that this kind of deal wouldn’t work out for the stars in the dressing room.
| player | annual salary |
| Bukayo Saka | £15.6m |
| Kai Havertz | £14.5m |
| Gabriel Jesus | £13.7 million |
| William Saliba | £13m |
| Declan Rice | £12.4m |
| Martin Odegaard | £12.4m |
| Victor Gokeres | £10.4m |
It is imagined that Arsenal could offload other high-money players this summer, with the arrival of Vinicius possibly meaning that even a big name like Martin Odegaard could be on the move.
As the table above shows, Gabriel Jesus is also paid a surprisingly high salary, so he would definitely be the one to fund the signing of Vini Junior without it costing the club too much.
However, the imbalance with stars like Saka and Rice certainly risks causing tension in a team that has grown steadily in recent years.
