8 potential sales that could fund Vinicius Junior move

Who had Arsenal trying to sign Vinicius Junior on their bingo card for this transfer window? Anybody?

It was a bolt out of the blue but the interest is real. Quite simply, it would be one of the biggest superstar transfers into the Premier League ever if Arsenal were able to pull it off.

And it would presumably take a lot of money too. Vinicius only has a year left on his contract with Real Madrid, which might help, but Transfermarkt still have him in their top 10 highest-valued players in the world.

Arsenal have already spent about £68.5m this summer, on another new winger (Christos Tzolis) and a permanent deal for last season’s loanee, Piero Hincapie.

They have only recouped around £32.6m in initial fees from the sales of Leandro Trossard, Jakub Kiwior and Karl Hein.

Thus, if they are to make a serious attempt for Vinicius, they’re going to need to raise some more funds – and fast.

We’ve picked out some players Arsenal could sell to balance the books and get closer to affording Vinicius.

Gabriel Martinelli

If Arsenal are to make room for a world-class winger, they’ll probably have to offload one of their existing options.

And while Trossard has already departed, the addition of Tzolis means there hasn’t been a net change in numbers.

With that in mind, Martinelli’s place in their long-term plans is still at risk, especially after he only scored once in the Premier League last season.

The Brazilian is into the final year of his contract with Arsenal, who signed him for a bargain £6m back in 2019 and will still be able to make a tidy profit despite his downturn in form.

Still only 25, Martinelli could make the most of a new challenge if he embarks on it now.

Gabriel Jesus

The other Brazilian forward in the final year of his Arsenal contract called Gabriel is also at risk of being sold.

At his best, Jesus gives Arsenal something they don’t otherwise have in attack. But he hasn’t been the big upgrade they were hoping he would be when he joined from Manchester City in 2022.

A big injury kept him out for most of 2025 and he was only able to start three league games last season.

There has been talk of a return to his homeland, but Jesus may have something to offer for a club in Europe still if he can stay fit.

Arsenal would probably take a hit on the £45m they spent on Jesus, but they can still use his sale to recoup some money.

Martin Odegaard

This could be the biggest decision Arsenal have to make this summer. Odegaard is their captain, but has he run his course as a key player for them?

Some would argue he has. After all, the attacking midfielder only scored once last season from 36 games.

He was once a marquee signing for the club after making his own move from Real Madrid. But while he’s still only 27, his influence seems to be fading.

Four assists at the World Cup with Norway sent a timely reminder that he’s not finished. That said, Arsenal might think he is with them.

With two years left on his contract, it wouldn’t be the worst time to cash in on Odegaard before his stock drops.

Ben White

White has been a good servant for Arsenal, but they have a couple of other players who can fulfil the same roles as him.

Originally signed as a centre-back, he earned his place in the team at right-back. But these days, Jurrien Timber and Cristhian Mosquera can cover both roles as well.

White, who has a contract until 2028, only played 12 times in the league last season. Timber and Mosquera are both younger than him and therefore seem like the ones Arsenal will be putting their hopes for the future in.

But as a 28-year-old, White should still have some value himself.

Ethan Nwaneri

Selling Nwaneri would have been unthinkable a few years ago when Arsenal made him their youngest ever first-team player. But now?

A loan spell at Marseille over the second half of last season wasn’t exactly thrilling. He scored twice from his 11 games for the French side, but only started four times for them.

Yes, Nwaneri is still only 19. It could be a massive mistake to let go of a player of his potential so soon. But sometimes the predictions of what a teenager’s career will look like don’t come true.

Arsenal also have to bear in mind that they now have Max Dowman coming through, who is seen by some as an even bigger talent.

Nwaneri has a long-term contract and some would still like him to fulfil it. However, young players can be sold for premium fees these days thanks to their potential, so there could be money to be made for Arsenal here.

Kepa Arrizabalaga

While selling their backup keeper would only go a fraction of the way to helping them afford Vinicius, Arsenal can allow Kepa to leave.

Having signed Illan Meslier as a free agent, they have bolstered their goalkeeping depth. Meslier suffered a fall from grace at Leeds, but should be capable of stepping into the backup keeper role behind David Raya if Kepa leaves.

Once upon a time, Kepa was making a move that made him the world’s most expensive keeper. But buyers Chelsea made a significant loss when selling him to Arsenal last summer.

Kepa was unable to dislodge his compatriot Raya as a regular starter. If another club can offer him a first-choice berth, Arsenal could look to get their £5m back for him. Every little helps.

Fabio Vieira

Some extra pennies for the pot could come from two players who were out on loan last season.

First, attacking midfielder Vieira moved on to Hamburg, who would like to keep him but will have to push the boat out to do so.

The 26-year-old scored seven goals for the German side, four more than he ever did for Arsenal but in 18 fewer games.

Whether it’s to Hamburg or someone else, Arsenal need to be cutting Vieira loose this summer before his contract expires next year.

Reiss Nelson

Similarly, Nelson has reached something of a dead end for his Arsenal career with one year left on his contract.

The winger didn’t really pull up any trees while at Brentford last season, nor at Fulham the year before.

Now 26, the academy graduate just isn’t going to make it back at Arsenal on that evidence. He needs a new challenge, perhaps even outside England again after previous loan spells in the Netherlands and Germany.

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