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Arsenal are still aiming to strengthen their attack before the transfer window shuts.

Arsenal have now opened discussions over the sale of an academy graduate as they try to bring Vinicius Jr to the club from Real Madrid.

The Gunners are attempting what could arguably be the boldest transfer in their history by signing the Brazil superstar, with FourFourTwo understanding that Arsenal’s owners have agreed to break the club’s wage structure in order to land Vinicius.

However, player sales will be required this summer as the North London club look to keep their finances in order, and one Hale End product in particular is now under threat of being moved on.

Journalist Carlo Pellegatti has revealed through MilanNews that “talks have taken place and are at an advanced stage” over a move that would send Ethan Nwaneri to RB Leipzig, with a buy-back clause expected to be part of the agreement.

Nwaneri made his breakthrough during the 2024/25 season as a deputy to Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka, but after the arrivals of Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke, the 19-year-old found his opportunities reduced significantly, which led to a January loan switch to Marseille.

The teenager moved to the south of France with the expectation that he would become an important starter under Roberto De Zerbi, but after the Italian left the Stade Velodrome in acrimonious circumstances soon afterwards, Nwaneri ended up making only nine Ligue 1 appearances, with successor Habib Beye using him only sparingly.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta recently said after a pre-season thrashing of Girona that Nwaneri’s struggles at Marseille would “help him a lot in his career”, though he also appeared to leave the door open for a first-team return by saying that the youngster “looks like a different man”.

Nwaneri famously made his Premier League debut before the 2022 World Cup, becoming the youngest player in the competition’s history at just 15 years old, with Arsenal having shown him from an early stage that there was a route into the first team at a time when clubs such as Manchester City and Chelsea were trying to sign him.

In truth, Nwaneri would not directly compete with Vinicius if the Real Madrid forward arrived, because he mainly plays on the right, as a No.10 or as a false nine. Even so, Nwaneri is the kind of player who could command a substantial transfer fee if Arsenal decide to cash in.

The North London side’s record sale remains Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who joined Liverpool in 2017 for around £35 million. But while Arteta has already overseen successful sales involving academy-developed players such as Folarin Balogun, Joe Willock, Emile Smith Rowe and Eddie Nketiah, Nwaneri could yet become the biggest sale of the lot because of his age, potential, relatively low current wages and contract position.

The England youth international, along with fellow Hale End graduate Myles Lewis-Skelly, signed long-term contract extensions last summer to keep both players tied to the Emirates until 2030.

With another teenage talent, Max Dowman, now also emerging and pushing for minutes in the same areas as Nwaneri, and with Madueke a far more established option who is still settling in at N5, Arsenal may feel they have little choice but to rebalance their squad in terms of who operates in that right half-space. That is especially the case given that Eze, Mikel Merino and Kai Havertz have all been preferred options to cover for Odegaard over the past 12 months.

According to Transfermarkt, Nwaneri is valued at €35m. Arsenal begin their Premier League season against Coventry City.