ARSENAL fans have every right to be excited by the prospect of signing Vinicius Junior this summer.
However, they should also be wary of getting carried away with transfer links that could be more about leveraging a new deal for the Brazilian in the Spanish capital.
Arsenal are exploring a deal to sign Vinicius Jr from Real Madrid Credit: Reuters
Arsenal are exploring a deal to sign Vinicius, who has just one year remaining on his current deal at the Bernabeu.
Los Blancos have opened new talks to tie the superstar down to a new long-term contract this week, but are yet to make a breakthrough in negotiations.
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New boss Jose Mourinho also wants to keep hold of all of his star players this summer, however if no agreement is reached Madrid would want to avoid losing Vinicius on a free transfer next year.
Arsenal are monitoring the situation and could pounce if there is a deal to be done.
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However, they will be cautious of getting dragged into a transfer saga that could be more about landing a new deal in Madrid than actually securing a switch to the Emirates.
Vinicius wouldn’t be the first superstar to flirt with a Premier League giant before penning a hefty new contract on the continent.
Some of the best players in the world, including both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, have used the tactic in the past.
Here, JattvibeSport breaks down ten occasions when players used the prospect of a Prem transfer to bag themselves a payday.
Cristiano Ronaldo was linked with an early return to Manchester United during his heyday at Real Madrid Credit: Reuters
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Sergio Ramos – Man Utd (2015)
Manchester United went as far as bidding nearly £30m for Ramos in 2015, spurred on by information that the defender was unhappy about not being offered a contract extension at Real Madrid.
Just a few weeks later and Ramos had put pen to paper on a lucrative five-year deal at the Bernabeu.
During his announcement interview, Ramos said that his idea was “always to be here” and that he “never said I wanted to leave.”
Lionel Messi – Man City (2017)
Lionel Messi was never going to leave Barcelona for the Premier League, but with Pep Guardiola in Manchester rumours started to swirl in 2017.
Reports in Spain suggested Messi had been speaking to Guardiola about a move, while Man City’s own website reported on gossip of a potential £357m bid.
Messi had one year left on his contract at the time, but he soon signed a four-year extension that made him the highest-paid athlete in the world at the time.
Sergio Ramos claimed he never wanted to leave Real Madrid despite talks with Man Utd Credit: Getty – Contributor
Lionel Messi was linked with a switch to Manchester City Credit: AFP
Cristiano Ronaldo – Man Utd (2013)
Ronaldo got his romantic return to Old Trafford in 2021, but it was rumoured to be happening much earlier.
The Portuguese reportedly told Man Utd that he was open to returning after four years at Real Madrid.
One month later he signed a new five-year deal worth over £14m per season.
Dani Alves – Man Utd and Liverpool (2015)
Months away from becoming a free agent, Dani Alves was flirting with a host of Premier League clubs ahead a potential Barcelona exit.
Man Utd and Liverpool were both strong contenders for his signature, but he ultimately signed a lucrative two-year extension in Catalonia.
Barca president at the time, Josep Maria Bartomeu, claimed Alves had always said he wanted to stay.
Thomas Muller – Man Utd (2015)
Reports in Germany claimed Man Utd tabled a whopping £70m bid for Bayern Munich’s Thomas Muller in 2015.
Muller was reportedly open to leaving Germany after a rocky relationship with Pep Guardiola, who was manager at the time.
The midfielder signed a six-year contract just a matter of months after the bid came in.
Gareth Bale – Man Utd and Tottenham (2016)
Gareth Bale bagged himself an after-tax wage of £350,000 per week in 2016 after flirting with Man Utd and Spurs.
Man Utd reportedly came close to agreeing a deal, but the negotiations ultimately helped Bale to become the world’s highest paid footballer.
Neymar – Man Utd (2016)
With Neymar‘s contract at Barcelona coming to a close, the Brazilian’s agent – Wagner Ribeiro – claimed Man Utd, PSG and Real Madrid all wanted to sign him,
Ribeiro publicly claimed that all three were willing to pay Neymar’s then £157m release clause.
Neymar swiftly signed a new five-year deal that included an increased release clause that was triggered by PSG a year later.
Gareth Bale flirted with a Premier League return before becoming football’s highest-paid player Credit: AFP OR LICENSORS
Neymar secured an extension at Barcelona following negotiations with Man Utd Credit: Splash News
Antoine Griezmann – Man Utd (2017)
Agents are often the driving force behind these negotiation techniques and Antione Griezmann’s tried his best in 2017.
The then Atletico Madrid star’s agent told French TV that Man Utd had “concrete” interest and were willing to pay big money for the star.
Unsurprisingly, Griezmann soon signed a new one-year extension that greatly improved his salary.
Marco Verratti – Chelsea and Man Utd (2015 & 2016)
Marco Verratti‘s agent regularly talked up his client and the interest from the Premier League during his time at PSG.
The talk even led to reports of Chelsea launching a £55m bid for the midfielder in 2016.
However, Verratti never made it to the Prem and ultimately penned a five-year deal in Paris.
Marco Verratti’s agent was regularly drumming up interest in his client Credit: Kenny Ramsay – The Jattvibe Glasgow
Kalidou Koulibaly – Man City and Chelsea (2018)
Before his eventual 2022 move to Chelsea, Kalidou Koulibaly was regularly being linked with a Napoli exit.
The Blues, alongside Man City, were reportedly keen on snatching him away from the Italian giants, but very public negotiations ultimately just led to a bumper contract for the defender.
Koulibaly signed a five-year deal in 2018, the same summer that Chelsea and Man City had reportedly been sniffing around.
