Arsenal identify Vinicius Jr alternative as enquiry made for player they 'really like'

Arsenal will be looking at alternatives to Vinicius Jr after the Brazilian agreed a new six-year contract with Real Madrid - and it appears they have a target in mind.

The Gunners are determined to make a statement in the remaining weeks of the window as they prepare to defend their Premier League crown.

It has been a fairly subdued summer so far. Back in June, they completed the £34.5million signing of Piero Hincapie, who spent the 2025-26 season on loan at Arsenal from Bundesliga outfit Bayer Leverkusen.

A week later, former Leeds United goalkeeper Illan Meslier joined the North London club on a free transfer.

And more recently, Arsenal signed highly-rated Greek winger Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge in a deal worth £34 million, while Bruno Guimaraes looks to be on his way to the Emirates for £75 million.

Mikel Arteta is also keen on bolstering his attacking options. As mentioned above, Vinicius Jr was on their shortlist, but he has committed his future to Real Madrid following weeks of speculation.

So, who will they target next? The Gunners have been keeping tabs on Julian Alvarez and Bradley Barcola, who is also being strongly linked with a move to Liverpool.

It has also emerged that those behind the scenes at Arsenal 'really like' Everton's Iliman Ndiaye. In fact, they have reportedly made an enquiry about his services, according to transfer journalist Ben Jacobs.

Ndiaye is exploring his options this summer. Image credit: Getty

Speaking on the YouTube channel Latte Firm, Jacobs said: “I heard the other day that Iliman Ndiaye is a player that Arsenal really like."

Jacobs added: "He’s rejected a contract proposal at Everton for now, and Al Hilal are working on that deal; maybe they’ll pull it off, but Arsenal are one of the clubs that made an enquiry.”

Iliman Ndiaye dropped transfer hint ahead of World Cup

In an exclusive interview with SPORTbible, Ndiaye was asked about his future.

“You don't know where football will take you next," he said. "As I've always said, I want to be the best player and to do that, you have to play at the top. I want to be playing at the top level. I want to be playing Champions League football."

Ndiaye, who was one of Everton's standout performers last season, reiterated his desire to play in the Champions League on a number of occasions before heading to the World Cup with Senegal.

The 26-year-old is believed to have held talks with Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal this summer as talks continue to stall around extending his stay on Merseyside.