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Real Madrid will not entertain offers below €160 million (£136.6m, $182m) for Vinicius Junior, with Arsenal leading a race that now includes Liverpool and Manchester City, according to reports.
The Athletic broke the story on July 25, confirming Arsenal’s interest in signing the Brazilian winger during the summer transfer window. At that point, no club-to-club talks had taken place between Arsenal and Madrid, though the Gunners had already given internal approval to pursue the deal.
Vinicius Junior is out of contract at Madrid in the summer of 2027. Negotiations over an extension have been ongoing for months without resolution, yet Madrid’s position on a sale is firm. Spanish publication Sport reports that club president Florentino Pérez has drawn a clear line: any offer, combining fixed fees and add-ons, must reach €160 million before Madrid will even open formal discussions.
“SPORT has learned that Florentino Pérez has set a non-negotiable condition for considering the Brazilian winger’s departure: the offer, including fixed fees and add-ons, must reach €160 million. Below that figure, the club will not even sit down to negotiate.”
Sport also clarified the reasoning behind the figure:
“The €160 million price tag is not arbitrary. Real Madrid cannot afford to lose a player of this calibre without receiving any compensation and, at the same time, wants to set a high enough bar to deter opportunistic inquiries. The formula the club is considering includes a fixed fee and a package of variables linked to performance and titles won, a mechanism increasingly common in major transfers that allows the total amount to be increased without drastically increasing the buyer’s initial outlay.”
Meeting that €160m threshold would make Vinicius Junior the most expensive player in Premier League history. The current record belongs to Alexander Isak, who cost Liverpool £125m when they signed the Sweden international striker from Newcastle United in the summer of 2025.
Sources have told TEAMtalk transfer insider Graeme Bailey that Liverpool and Man City are both tracking the 26-year-old, and that the Brazilian’s camp has held talks with all three Premier League clubs. Arsenal remain at the front of the queue, but the competition is real and the price is set.
Read also: Vinicius Jr. Exit Could Open the Door for Real Madrid to Sign Michael Olise
Stay with TipsGG for the latest transfer developments as this story moves forward.