Five Vinicius Junior alternatives Arsenal MUST target if they fail to land Brazilian superstar

The news that Arsenal are exploring a deal to sign Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Junior almost broke the internet. If they get it done, it’d surely be the Premier League’s biggest blockbuster signing of the summer.

But there’s a long way to go before we reach ‘here we go’, and Arsenal may yet sign a different forward this summer. According to talkSPORT’s chief football correspondent Alex Crook, the Gunners have “added the Brazil international to their list of transfer targets – not necessarily their number one option.”

We’ve identified five potential alternatives that Arsenal can target this summer if they’re unable to land Vinicius’ signature.

Bradley Barcola

Liverpool have been most closely linked with the PSG forward this summer, but dispatches from the rumour mill have also given Arsenal a mention here or there.

No concrete reports have emerged just yet, but you’d be surprised if the 23-year-old’s name wasn’t on their shortlist. Barcola has two years left on his deal with the perennial Ligue 1 champions, renewal negotiations are believed to have reached an impasse, and all the noises out of his camp suggest that he’s open to a move this summer.

Barcola has notched 39 goals and 37 assists in 152 appearances for PSG, while he also impressed with three goals for France in the World Cup.

One way or another, we’d be surprised if Barcola isn’t a Premier League footballer by the time the window closes.

Rafael Leao

“I want a new challenge out of Serie A. I follow the Premier League with great attention,” Leao told Portuguese station SportTV at the start of June.

“If I have the opportunity to play there or La Liga I would be really happy because my talent would be exalted there. Let’s see what will happen this summer.”

Fabrizio Romano gave those quotes a wider boost, and you get the sense that Leao’s representatives are desperate to get him out of Milan after they missed out on Champions League qualification last summer.

Unfortunately for the Portugal international, it’s been an awkward period ever since. He assisted Goncalo Ramos’ last-gasp winner against Croatia, but his World Cup was otherwise underwhelming. And his name hasn’t been as frequent fixture of the gossip columns as you might expect. Links to Fenerbahce probably aren’t what he had in mind.

We still expect Leao to leave the San Siro this summer, and this one is an open goal for Arsenal if they can’t land Vini. But we wouldn’t be shocked if Leao ends up signing for a Saudi Pro League club, with his tail between his legs, come late August.

Raphinha

You imagine that certain provisions would have to be made for Vinicius Junior’s lack of pressing and defensive effort. That’s a trade-off potentially worth making when you look at what certain managers have got out of the likes of Lionel Messi, Mohamed Salah and Kylian Mbappe.

But what if you don’t have to make that trade-off? There would be no such concerns with Raphinha.

Barcelona manager Hansi Flick absolutely loves Raphinha – and it’s not difficult to see why. Not only does the Brazilian work his socks off and press like a demon, but when fit and firing he’s capable of extraordinary output.

Players that can offer both are worth their weight in gold, and you could see Arteta loving how he sets the tone and leads from the front.

Unfortunately, a fit Raphinha has been an increasingly rare sight. He started fewer than half of Barcelona’s La Liga games last season, missed their crucial games in the run-in, and was also sidelined when push came to shove for Brazil at the World Cup. There’s an increasing sense that he’s run himself into the ground with his all-action style.

It’s for that reason that you could see Barcelona taking a last chance to cash in on the 29-year-old, especially given their wider financial situation and the additions of Anthony Gordon and Karim Adeyemi. But it would also represent a major risk for Arsenal, and it wouldn’t be a long-term investment.

Keep him fit, there are few forwards you can imagine being a better fit for what Arteta is building in the here and now.

Kaoru Mitoma

Vinicius is by a considerable distance the most high-profile and valuable left-sided attacker out of contract next summer. But he’s not the only one.

Scroll through this summer’s biggest transfers and one trend stands out. Rather than gambling on talent from abroad after Wirtz’s underwhelming debut campaign, clubs are throwing their money at Premier League-proven stars. Rogers, Tonali and Anderson headline a market increasingly driven by domestic deals.

Mitoma isn’t quite at that level, isn’t especially young, and his stock has fallen a bit after a couple of underwhelming, injury-hit campaigns. But he remains a serviceable Premier League winger, puts in a shift, and Arsenal would know exactly what they’re buying.

Yann Gboho

Also out of contract in 2027, Gboho is worth keeping tabs on. He ranked seventh for dribbles completed in Europe’s five major leagues last season.

The 25-year-old would be pretty underwhelming, to put it mildly, if you stack him up against a world-class superstar like Vini.

But he would represent a cut-price alternative that would allow the Gunners to invest more of this summer’s transfer war chest elsewhere (Bruno Guimaraes?).

Like Mitoma, he would by no means raise the ceiling of Arsenal’s first-choice XI, he would raise the floor as a squad-filler and younger, passable-ish replacement for Leandro Trossard.

Gboho notched eight goals and three assists in Ligue 1 last season and can also play in a more central attacking role, offering cover for Martin Odegaard and Eberechi Eze.

A modest signing like this would also put a degree of faith in Gabriel Martinelli. Don’t knock him down the pecking order, and give him one more season to see if he can turn a corner and reach the potential he hinted at in his early years. A big risk, given the winger’s trajectory, though.