Arsenal's next transfer after Vinicius Jr 'decided' as £77m breakthrough 'agreed'

The Gunners have more work to do after striking a deal for Vinicius Junior

For Arsenal fans, the moment they had been waiting for all summer appears to be drawing nearer.

After the bitter penalty shootout defeat to PSG in May’s Champions League final, manager Mikel Arteta made it clear to the Gunners hierarchy they needed to show ambition in the upcoming transfer window.

Up until now, sporting director Andrea Berta had done little to deliver on that plea, having only signed third-choice goalkeeper Illan Meslier, brought in Leandro Trossard’s replacement Christos Tzolis and made Piero Hincapie’s deal permanent.

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Links with several elite players, including Morgan Rogers and Julian Alvarez, had been strong. But Arsenal ultimately failed to complete deals for such key targets in the first six weeks of the summer window.

However, the wait for a blockbuster signing could come to an end in the coming days, with the Premier League champions reportedly agreeing personal terms with Vinicius Junior. It emerged last weekend that a move for the Real Madrid superstar was approved at all levels at the Emirates Stadium, despite the huge cost of bringing him to N5.

There has now been another development, with X account Hand of Arsenal, an established Arsenal source on social media, reporting that Vinicius’ representatives Roc Nation have been presented with a huge offer from Arsenal, which they have in mind heading into their crunch talks with Los Blancos.

Real Madrid have reportedly put forward a final contract offer to the Brazilian, who has entered the final 12 months of his deal at the Bernabeu, and are unwilling to budge on that offer. If the two parties fail to agree on a new deal, Arsenal will be the prime candidates to secure the 26-year-old’s signature.

Such a deal, if they get it over the line, would be the biggest in the club’s history, not only because it addresses Arsenal’s long-term need for a world-class left winger, but also the sheer calibre of player they will have on their hands.

Yet, they cannot stop there. Berta has more work to do to address the two other positions Arsenal need to improve on- central midfield and defence.

Fortunately, Berta appears to have done much of the legwork already, as confirmation of Bruno Guimaraes’ move from Newcastle United could emerge in the coming days. It was widely reported on Friday that Arsenal agreed a £77million deal plus add-ons to bring the Magpies skipper to north London.

While Newcastle sources continue to deny that formal talks have taken place between the clubs, Guimaraes’ medical has reportedly been pencilled in for next week. The Brazilian midfielder is expected to sign a five-year deal, having already agreed personal terms.

Guimaraes’ arrival would be crucial, especially in the early months of the season, with Declan Rice potentially missing games as he continues to nurse a long-term neural issue. It remains to be seen at this stage whether Arsenal can wrap up a deal for Guimaraes in time to prevent him from re-joining Newcastle, who play Valencia in a pre-season friendly at the Mestalla next Saturday.

Recent reports suggest that the Gunners’ activity won’t end there, either. ESPN Brazil claims Arsenal are close to bringing in a centre-back - a move shaped by the absence of William Saliba for the first few months of the season. Other reports claim a right-back signing is more likely, with Bournemouth’s Rayan being named as a potential arrival.