THE REAL DEAL? Vinicius Jr SNUBS Madrid return to cast fresh doubt on Los Blancos future amid Arsenal interest as Gunners monitor situation

Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr will not return to training this week as his contract talks rumble on with Arsenal waiting in the wings.

The Brazilian has been given an extended break having played at the World Cup, but will not return before the month is out despite there being an expectation that he would be back in the Spanish capital for pre-season.

Vinicius is staying away while his representatives try to make progress in talks over an extension to his contract, which will run out at the end of the upcoming season. Real do not want to let him leave for free, and there is a scenario whereby they will cash in.

Arsenal are waiting to see how the saga plays out and the major issue with Los Blancos and their player stems from his wage demands. Vinicius wants financial parity with top earner Kylian Mbappe, but the La Liga giants want him to lower that request, reports the Daily Mail.

If he fails to do that then the door opens for the Gunners, who have internally discussed signing the 26-year-old but no bid has yet been tabled.

Jose Mourinho is back in charge at Real following his initial stint from 2010 and 2013 and had a public spat last season involving Vinicius. The Special One has wasted no time in bolstering his squad, adding the likes of Bernardo Silva, Ibrahima Konate and Marc Cucurella.

Real are now closing in on the £115million signing of Yan Diomande from RB Leipzig, one of the most in-demand wingers of the summer. PSG had looked like his most likely destination but they refused to match his financial demands and the Spanish giants are ready to break their own transfer record to land the Ivorian.

Diomande, who scored 12 goals and registered eight assists last term, would serve as a replacement for Vinicius if he does make a move to the Bernabeu.

Teams in Saudi Arabia are also monitoring Vinicius' situation closely after months of speculation linked him with a switch to the Middle East. Arsenal are known to want more quality in the final third and Vinicius more than fits the bill.

Arsenal want a left-sided attacker and have just missed out on Morgan Rogers, who chose to move to Chelsea. BBC Sport claims that the Brazilian is viewed internally as the club's number one target and any move would almost certainly be a club-record deal.