Vinícius has made his decision following rumors linking him with Arsenal.
Spanish media outlet AS reported that Vinícius Júnior, the Brazilian forward for Real Madrid, does not wish to join Arsenal, the reigning English Premier League champions, this summer and wants to extend his contract solely with his current club.
Earlier reports from the English media, The Athletic, indicated that Arsenal is seriously considering signing Vinícius, with the idea reportedly approved at all levels within the club.
Vinícius has only 12 months left on his contract, and Arsenal is aware of this tense situation as they seek to strengthen their attacking options before the new season starts.
However, the latest reports state that the 26-year-old Vinícius wants to stay with Real Madrid and that his main focus right now is to extend his contract with the club.
Vinícius aims to make this process as smooth as possible for all parties involved, seeking to avoid a repeat of last summer when contract negotiations abruptly stalled.
Real Madrid’s management agrees and intends to do everything to reach an agreement with Vinícius and remove any doubts about the future of their key forward.
Reports add that contract talks between Vinícius and Real Madrid are expected to resume next week. Meanwhile, manager José Mourinho has clearly expressed his desire to keep the 2024 Ballon d'Or runner-up, planning a future attack featuring superstars Diomandé, Mbappé, and Vinícius, supported by Jude Bellingham.
It is reported that Vinícius is asking for a salary of about 20 million euros (17 million pounds) per season, an increase of 5 million euros (4.3 million pounds) from his last contract extension in 2022.
Since joining Real Madrid from Flamengo in 2017 for a 38 million pound fee, Vinícius has scored 128 goals and provided 100 assists, helping Madrid win 14 titles, including three La Liga championships and two Champions League trophies.