On August 5th—DO stated in the TA podcast that Real Madrid reportedly owes Vinicius Jr. a loyalty bonus of approximately €10 million. Arsenal's potential signing of Vinicius Jr. this summer involves substantial figures, and the Gunners are prepared to manage them.

Q: But from a football and dressing room perspective, you mentioned Vinicius' high salary. This is a massive transfer—he would be joining the Premier League with Arsenal—but Arsenal has a fairly strict wage structure. Could this create potential friction in the squad? Is it also a challenge for Arteta to manage this deal properly?

DO: It depends on how you look at it. If you're other players on the team or their agents, you might think: "Wait, if they're really paying him that much, then I feel underpaid, or I sacrificed salary to join Arsenal. They told me they didn't have money back then, but now they're going all out for a high-value player." That's just a hypothesis—I don't know if that's really the case now. Of course, the club would argue that they're willing to make an exception for a player with such extensive experience and outstanding ability at both club and international level, and that the various contributions he can bring to Arsenal justify this one-time expenditure. If it really happens—and this is just a hypothesis—they'll have to manage it. I believe there will be many discussions, and certainly many players and agents will understand this signing and its cost. This is the reality when signing a player of this caliber. But I don't think we're at that stage yet. It's certainly a reasonable question, but clearly, Arsenal believes that if they have the opportunity to sign him, they are prepared to handle it. Listen, there's also the possibility that for various reasons—player availability, financial situation, etc.—a signing cannot be completed now. If he doesn't renew his contract and enters the final year, then Arsenal and other clubs might consider signing him in summer 2027. One factor is that Madrid owes him a loyalty bonus. Some reports put it at around €10 million, though the exact figure isn't known. If you're Real Madrid, you might not mind paying this if he renews, but if he's leaving, it's harder to accept—and that's definitely a factor. If the deal happens in summer 2027, the signing bonus might be more palatable for clubs like Arsenal than now. You know, if this deal ultimately goes through, the numbers will be staggering, because there's also a transfer fee, and we don't know the exact amount yet. Of course, if Real Madrid is unwilling to offer Vinicius Jr. a new contract at his desired salary level, that essentially signals they don't intend to keep him at that level. He might then expect them to let him go at a reasonable price. That's why Arsenal, currently interested, might try to negotiate for a reasonable transfer fee. Well, it's also Real Madrid's right—they can demand whatever they want. So if Arsenal pays the transfer fee and signing bonus now, as you pointed out, those numbers will obviously be substantial. If he becomes a free agent, there's no transfer fee. Many factors are involved. When you talk to everyone about this, they all have different opinions on the likelihood of this deal happening. I'm more neutral, so I'd estimate the probability at around fifty-fifty.

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