Vinicius Junior signs new Real Madrid contract until 2032 as La Liga giants call Brazil forward ‘one of the most important players’

Vinicius Junior has signed a new six-year contract at Real Madrid, ending speculation linking the Brazil forward with a move to Arsenal.

In a statement confirming the deal on Thursday, the La Liga club called the 26-year-old “one of the most important players in one of the most successful periods in our history”.

The two-time Champions League winner’s future had been under scrutiny because his previous contract expired in 2027.

Vinicius Junior transfer news: What the forward said

Vinicius Junior said on Tuesday that new head coach Jose Mourinho had told him his expectations during gruelling training sessions after the forward’s return from the World Cup with Brazil.

Mourinho met Vinicius Junior on Monday for the first time since the Portuguese’s reappointment in May for a second tenure at the club.

“Very well,” the 26-year-old replied when Madrid’s official channel asked how he felt, sitting on a ball and smiling.

“[I’m] getting to know the new manager, the new players and working really hard. He wants me to be just as I’ve always been: happy, positive and playing. We all finished completely dead on our feet.”

Vinicius Jr: Real Madrid forward jilts Arsenal

Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta has long been linked with a move for Vinicius Junior, smiling broadly but dodging the question when he was repeatedly asked about a potential bid after his side’s friendly win at Girona on Saturday.

Mourinho voiced worries over the lack of training time he will have with key senior players including Vinicius Junior after his team’s draw with Fiorentina on the same day, saying he would “like to have three weeks” with him.

Madrid’s enthusiastic coverage of Vinicius Junior’s return perhaps emphasised that the 15-time European champions were expecting him to stay.

The club posted footage of both of Vinicius Junior’s first sessions preparing for the 2026/27 season, titling the second “Vini Jr is back!” in capital letters.

Vinicius Junior: What Arsenal said

Arteta said Arsenal are “very active, trying to improve and evolve the team”. “That’s clear,” added the Spaniard.

“We expect to have movements in the next few weeks because we want to get better, like anybody else.

“You can just see the transfer market and our opponents and what they are doing. We are very ambitious with what we want to do.

“The margins are very small and if we want to get better, the level is going to increase. We need to increase the competition internally.

“We need to make sure that we identify the things we don’t have in the team to have bigger margins. That’s the way we have to think.

“We have even more responsibility and ambition than before. We know what is ahead; we know the qualities and capacity we have to compete with any team, but we need to prove that we belong at this level [of champions] now.”

Vinicius Jr stats: Best FIFA, La Liga, Champions League

Signed from Flamengo for a reported fee of around £39.4 million in 2018, Vinicius Junior’s individual honours include the 2023/24 Champions League Player of the Season award and the 2024 Best FIFA Men’s Player honour.

He was the Ballon d’Or runner up to Rodri in the same year. Here’s a look at the trophies Vinicius Junior has won with Madrid.

Real Madrid schedule: When does Vinicius Junior’s season start?

Madrid’s competitive season starts away to Espanyol on August 22 (20:30 BST). Arsenal kick off a day earlier at home to Coventry City (20:00).