Earthquake in Europe: Arsenal make a move for Vini Jr?!

Arsenal and Vinicius Jr - how does this sound to you? Surreal, right? Well, better start believing, because it may not be as far-fetched as it seems.

According to the highly respected The Athletic and its renowned journalist David Ornstein, the Gunners could seize the opportunity to secure Yan Diomande's potential deal with Real Madrid and pull off a world-class signing.

The Ivorian's move to the Santiago Bernabeu could trigger a massive domino effect in the transfer market, as Los Blancos would consequently be willing to offload the Brazilian, whose contract expires next June, in a bid to cash in on him while they still can.

Contract talks between Madrid and Vini have been at a standstill for quite some time, and there appears to be no breakthrough in sight.

Operation 'Diomande' in Madrid – Los Blancos make their move for Ivorian

Even though the forward entered the final year of his contract, Florentino Perez would demand at least €100 million, but Arsenal management seems aware of that, given that there is reportedly a growing consensus within the club to make a move for Vini.

There have recently been rumours linking the Gunners with Atletico Madrid's Julian Alvarez, with some reports even suggesting that the North London side would be willing to include Viktor Gyokeres in the deal, but the story about Vini seems much more plausible, as Mikel Arteta still needs both a winger and a striker, so parting ways with the Swede would make little sense.

If Vinicius indeed left the Santiago Bernabeu, it would mark the end of an era in European football, given that he spent the last eight years in the Spanish capital, having joined Los Blancos as an 18-year-old.

He arrived from Flamengo as one of Brazil's brightest talents and went on to become one of Real Madrid's modern-day icons, recording 128 goals and 100 assists in 375 appearances.