Gary Neville 'not surprised' Arsenal have been rejected by top transfer target

Vinicius Junior preferring to stay at Real Madrid has ‘not surprised’ Gary Neville (Picture: Getty)

Gary Neville claims Vinicius Junior would have been a ‘spectacular’ transfer coup for Arsenal and he is ‘not surprised’ to see the forward preferring to stay put at Real Madrid.

Vinicius has entered into the final 12 months of his current contract at Madrid and negotiations over a possible renewal have thus far come to nothing.

Sensing a potential opening, Premier League champions Arsenal were alerted to the situation, with a proposed bid for the 26-year-old attacker approved ‘at all levels’ within the Gunners’ hierarchy.

However, Vinicius is said to have ‘prioritised’ resolving his future with Los Blancos, keen to extend his deal at the Bernabeu beyond the end of next season.

Madrid, meanwhile, have no intention of losing Vinicius ahead of the new season, with Jose Mourinho imploring club chiefs to do everything in their power to keep the Brazilian in the Spanish capital.

Madrid-based publication AS claim Vinicius’ camp are preparing to meet with club officials in Valdebebas in the next week with a view to thrashing out the terms of an extension.

‘I just saw the rumour, I didn’t know how much truth there was in it,’ Ex-Manchester United and England defender Neville said of Arsenal’s interest in Vinicius on Sky Sports.

Vinicius’ current deal with Madrid is due to expire in 2027 (Picture: Getty)

The Brazilian superstar has three La Liga titles with Madrid (Picture: Getty)

‘Obviously it would have been a spectacular signing but I’m not surprised that he would stay in Madrid.

‘We do want great players in the Premier League but my view on the Premier League is that it has been at its best since it began through the best managers being in the Premier League and then the best teams tend to follow.

‘So I’m more interested in the best managers coming into the Premier League than the players.

‘We very rarely beat Barcelona and Real Madrid to the top players in the world and that’s been something that’s happened historically over the last 30, 40, 50 years.’

Vinicius’ camp hope to resume contract talks in the next few days (Picture: Getty)

According to AS’ editor-in-chief Tomas Roncero, Vinicius has told close friends he wants his future resolved as quickly as possible to remove any chance of Madrid being forced to lose him for free next summer.

The 2024 Ballon d’Or runner-up is said to feel indebted to Madrid after they took a ‘gamble’ on him when he signed from Flamengo aged just 18.

Roncero told Cadena SER’s El Larguero programme: ‘In recent weeks, he’s been saying to those around him that he doesn’t want to leave without Real Madrid receiving a single euro: “I can’t leave Madrid for free because Madrid took me in when I was 18, from a humble family, with a difficult social and personal situation, and they believed in me.”