Mirror: Vinicius Jr has already promised to join club as Arsenal handed transfer timeline

Vinicius Jr has already made plans for his footballing career after Real Madrid

Vinicius Jr knows the one club he'll play for after leaving Real Madrid - and it's not Arsenal. The Gunners' concrete interest in signing the Brazilian superstar emerged this past weekend with Mikel Arteta still on the hunt for a marquee attacking signing.

A report from the Athletic states that a move for the 26-year-old has been approved by club chiefs if he doesn't extend his contract with the Spanish giants. Vinicius has a year left on his deal, with Madrid said to prefer a sale this summer rather than risk losing him for free if new terms can't be agreed upon.

Should he remain at the Bernabeu, the Brazil international will enter his ninth season at the club. The winger has long spoken of his love for Madrid but it won't be enough to retire a Madridista.

Vinicius admitted in 2023 of his plans to one day return to his boyhood club Flamengo before he hangs up his boots. He spent 11 years in the Brazilian club's academy before making his professional debut with them in 2017.

He left just a year later for Madrid as an 18-year-old but reuniting with the storied club is a promise he once made to his father, Vinicius Jose Paixao de Oliveira. Speaking to French newspaper L'Équipe in 2024, the winger said: "I believe I could stay here (at Real Madrid) my whole career, but the club of my life is Flamengo. I promised my father I would return one day. I have to honour that promise."

It's a promise he not only made to his father, but to long-time friend and international team-mate, Lucas Paqueta. The duo grew up together at Flamengo and the ex-West Ham star already secured his own return to the club earlier this year.

The 28-year-old publicised the pair's private conversation after Vinicius alleged he was racially abused by Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni in a Champions League match. Paqueta said: "I’m here, now it’s just you missing. We have to fulfil what we promised."

The promise is said to have been one they made upon breaking into Flamengo's first team with dreams of dominating South American football together. Still only 26, Vinicius has several years of his prime still to play but has no plans to return to Flamengo in his mid 30s.

In an interview earlier this summer, a smiling Vinicius stated: "I’m going to come back. Ah… I’m not coming back that old, eh!" Explaining the timeline of his future, he said: "I started playing very young.

"I’m not fed up, but I do miss Flamengo, you know? But I’m not going back now, no. Not in the next 3 or 4 years. I’m still 25. Come back in 8, 9 years? No, not then. I’ll be too old by then.

"I have to win the Libertadores with Flamengo, man!" Going by Vinicius' roadmap, a move back to Brazil would occur in his early 30s as he hopes to still be influential enough on the pitch to be successful with Flamengo.