Vinicius Junior sent Arsenal personal message ahead of signing Real Madrid contract during transfer saga

Vinicius Junior's representatives reached out to Arsenal with a personal message ahed of his decision not to join the Premier League side.

In what would have certainly been the biggest transfer of the summer, Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Junior was heavily linked with a stunning move to join Arsenal.

Amid a breakdown in negotiations to extend the Brazilian's spell at the Bernabeu, it was reported that Vinicius was considering a move to the Premier League.

A controversial renewal bonus was believed to be the key sticking point in Vinicius' discussions with Real Madrid, who feared such a deal could create a knock-on effect among the rest of the squad.

But a major breakthrough in negotiations eventually led to Real Madrid's announcement that they had reached an agreement to extend the star player's contract by a further six years, until June 2032.

Although Arsenal have since made up for the snub with the signing of Newcastle United's Bruno Guimaraes, the decision has left Arsenal without a statement forward to add to the ranks this summer.

And it is therefore even more brutal for Arsenal fans that, according to The Athletic, Vinicius had been ‘genuinely attracted’ by the move, and all that was left to be sorted was the final green light from his team after all levels of Arsenal's hierarchy approved the club record transfer.

But instead of this green light, the message from Vinicius' team that came on Wednesday reportedly expressed gratitude for how Arsenal had conducted themselves during the transfer saga, but confirmed he would be signing a new deal with Real Madrid.

The messaged added that Vinicius had come to the decision due to his ‘affection’ for Madrid and the massive ‘financial effort’ that the Spanish giants had made to ensure he stayed had swayed him in the end.

Such a decision is said to have caused understandable disappointment at the Emirates, particularly after ‘months of behind-the-scenes work’ and ‘high-level’ dialogue took place in order to set the groundwork for the deal, but the club was accepting of the news and actually felt that the fact that a deal was even considered showed how far Arsenal had come in recent years.

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Could Arsenal hijack Liverpool's move for Bradley Barcola?

Since news of Vinicius' decision broke, it has been claimed that Arsenal are considering moving quickly to secure another elite forward this summer, Paris Saint-Germain superstar Barcola.

The Frenchman has strongly been linked with a transfer to Liverpool this summer, but it has been reported that the Gunners feel that they may be able to convince him to abandon the Reds and instead move to London.

In fact, former Arsenal forward Perry Groves has since claimed that it is exactly this allure of moving to London that had led to his 'sources' claiming that a move to Arsenal could be on the cards for Barcola.

"I've got a source that says he wants to live in London," Groves claimed on talkSPORT.

"There you go. I can't tell you... I can't divulge my sources.

"I've got a source. I've got a mole. Breaking news - Barcola wants to live in London."

If Barcola were to join Arsenal it would prove to be a devastating blow to Liverpool, who are in desperate need of forward reinforcements following Mohamed Salah's departure at the end of last season.