Of course, it could have been very different, though. Arsenal came incredibly close to one of the most ambitious signings in their history this summer, until a late offer changed everything. But now there are signs that the door could be opening again.

Vinicius Jr’s Real Madrid struggles could hand Arsenal a second chance

Arsenal were ready to move for Vinicius Jr if he didn’t extend his contract at Real Madrid, with the Kroenke ownership, sporting director Andrea Berta and Arteta all fully behind the pursuit. Arsenal were even prepared to break their salary structure, and the Brazilian was attracted by the project.

In the end, it took an improved offer from Madrid in August, making him one of the highest-paid players in the club’s history, to convince him to sign a new deal until 2032.

He started against Roma in the Champions League, but was taken off after an hour with Madrid 3-1 down, and they went on to win 4-3 without him. He’s now serving a four-match La Liga ban. He’s already missed the game against Sevilla, and he’ll also sit out El Clasico against Barcelona and the matches against Racing Santander and Valencia.

Diomande, meanwhile, is finding his feet. He has two goals and three assists for Madrid, all of them in his last five games.

Could Arsenal make a move for Vinicius Jr?

According to Fichajes, Madrid are now willing to sell Vinicius in January, with Arsenal still interested and prepared to pay as much as €150million. Fichajes isn’t always the most reliable source, but it’s easy to see how things could change if Diomande keeps playing like this.

Any deal would be far from straightforward, however. Vinicius has only just committed his future to Madrid until 2032, and his wages would be a huge outlay on top of any fee.

But Arsenal spent months this summer building a relationship with him and his representatives, and they were only turned down because of his affection for Madrid and the size of the club’s offer. If that affection starts to fade, Arsenal are well placed to try again.