José Mourinho Welcomes Vinicius Jr Back for Pre-Season Training

José Mourinho will have Vinicius Jr back on the training pitch on Monday. Whether he keeps him beyond this summer is a very different question.

The Real Madrid manager confirmed after Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Fiorentina in Austria that Vinicius will report for pre-season as planned, alongside Brahim Diaz and new signing Bernardo Silva. The World Cup break is over for the Brazilian; the uncertainty over his future is only just beginning.

Vinicius, 26, returns from holiday still carrying the weight of Brazil’s shock 2-1 defeat to Norway in the World Cup round of 16 on July 5. He also comes back with only 12 months left on his Madrid contract and no agreement in sight over an extension at the Bernabeu.

That stalemate has cracked the door open. Arsenal are ready to charge straight through it.

The Independent reported over the weekend that the Premier League champions have made significant headway towards what would be the most audacious signing in their history, having agreed the outline of a personal deal with the forward. ESPN have also stated that Madrid are open to letting Vinicius leave if no breakthrough is found on a new contract, with the club unwilling to improve their latest renewal offer as the stand-off drags on.

Madrid’s wider transfer picture only sharpens the sense of a crossroads. A move for RB Leipzig winger Yan Diomande, valued at more than £100 million, has stalled. The club are still chasing Manchester City lynchpin Rodri, having already completed an aggressive rebuild with the arrivals of Marc Cucurella, Denzel Dumfries, Bernardo Silva, Ibrahima Konaté and Carlos Espi.

Something has to give. Vinicius may be it.

Arsenal, meanwhile, are not waiting around. While they circle one Brazilian in Madrid, they are closing in on another from Newcastle. Their long pursuit of Bruno Guimarães is reaching its decisive phase, with the midfielder widely expected to undergo a medical on Monday ahead of an £80m move from Newcastle.

Guimarães had also been due back from his post-World Cup break on Monday, set to rejoin Newcastle’s pre-season camp in La Manga, Spain. That plan is now effectively shelved. Instead of pulling on black and white again, he is on the brink of swapping it for red and white in north London.

Newcastle are already moving to reshape the squad in response. They have confirmed the £25m signing of Czech Republic goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek from Braga and are now looking at Inter Milan midfielder Petar Sucic as a potential replacement for Guimarães.

So Mourinho will greet Vinicius at Valdebebas on Monday morning, just as planned. The real intrigue lies in how many more mornings they share the same training ground.