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Journalist Ramon Alvarez has reported that representatives of Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr. have formally denied reports from England suggesting the player has agreed to join Arsenal.

The 26-year-old Brazil international’s camp acted swiftly on Friday to shut down the transfer speculation, making it clear that no such agreement has been reached with the Premier League side.

The response from the player’s inner circle follows a fresh wave of speculation in the British media.

Reports overnight had claimed that the North London outfit were making major headway in trying to prise the winger away from the Santiago Bernabeu, with his current contract situation seen as a possible opening.

However, Vinicius’ entourage has insisted these claims are completely false. While Arsenal are still very interested in the forward should he become available in the market, there have been no direct talks and no personal terms have been agreed.

The winger remains contracted to Real Madrid and is currently focused on his responsibilities with the Spanish club.

Even though the reported agreement with Arsenal has been denied, Vinicius’ long-term future in Spain continues to be a major talking point. The player and Real Madrid are presently at a standstill over a contract extension, with negotiations making very little progress.

The attacker is now in the final year of his deal, which means he will be legally allowed to negotiate a free transfer with clubs outside Spain from January 2027.

The key obstacle to a new agreement is not his fixed salary, which is already close to the club’s strict €20 million wage ceiling. Instead, the disagreement centres on the amount of the renewal bonus.

Real Madrid’s hierarchy believe the bonus should be lower than what a typical free agent would receive, while the player’s representatives argue that his demands are far below what it would cost to sign a replacement star in the open market.

Despite the continuing tension behind the scenes, head coach Jose Mourinho wants the Brazilian winger to remain an essential part of his squad.

With that in mind, Mourinho has stayed in regular contact with Vinicius over the past few weeks in an effort to clear up previous misunderstandings and reassure him of his key place in the starting line-up alongside Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham.

For now, only time will reveal how the situation develops as the deadlock between the player and the club continues.