Arsenal transfer blow as Real Madrid still want Vinicius Jr to stay even after their £100m move for Yan Diomande

ARSENAL’S pursuit of Vinicius Junior will not become any easier if Real Madrid sign Yan Diomande. Madrid are closing in on a deal worth over £100m to sign Diomande from RB Leipzig this summer. Real Madrid still want to keep Vinicius Jr even if they sign Yan Diomande Credit: Alamy Madrid are closing in a deal worth over £100m to sign Diomande from RB Leipzig Credit: Getty But even if the 19-year-old winger arrives at the Bernabeu, Real Madrid are expected to maintain their stance that they want to keep Vinicius Jr. Arsenal are exploring a deal to sign Vinicius, who currently has just one year remaining on his deal at the Bernabeu. Sign up for the Arsenal newsletter Thank you! Madrid have opened new talks to tie the Brazilian superstar down to a new long-term contract this week, but are yet to make a breakthrough in negotiations. New boss Jose Mourinho also wants to keep hold of all of his star players this summer, however if no agreement is reached Madrid would want to avoid losing Vinicius on a free transfer next year. The LaLiga club’s move for Diomande is understood to have no bearing on their stance that they wish to keep Vinicius. And Diomande actually played the majority of his games for Leipzig last season on the right wing, the opposite flank to Vinicius. Arsenal are closely monitoring Vinicius’ situation as talks over a new deal continue this week. Despite the 26-year-old earning an eye-watering £400,000-per-week at the Bernabeu, Arsenal are confident they can meet his wage demands if a deal does materialise. Most read in Sport BEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UK Any contract would make him Arsenal’s highest paid player ever. Mikel Arteta is hoping to strengthen his front line further having already brought in Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge last week in a £34m deal. The Gunners have already missed out on signing top target Morgan Rogers, who was swiped from underneath their noses by rivals Chelsea in a record £117m transfer. Arsenal are still in for Newcastle star Bruno Guimaraes, too. The Toon captain has told club chiefs he would like to sign for Arsenal, but Newcastle bosses are keen to keep hold of their midfield maestro after already losing Sandro Tonali to Tottenham. Comment now