Arsenal would have had to pay astonishing £417m to finalise Vinicius Junior deal - Finance expert

Arsenal would have had to pay a Premier League-record fee to sign Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior as well as a salary worth £267million over six years.

That is according to former Manchester City financial adviser Stefan Borson, who exclusively told Football Insider that the winger's wages would have taken the finances to another level.

Mikel Arteta's side explored a move for the 26-year-old, who has 128 goals and 85 assists in 375 games for Los Blancos.

Vinicius had entered into the final 12 months of his contract at Real Madrid, with very few signs of a new deal being agreed at the Bernabeu.

However, the latest updates would suggest that he will remain in La Liga, with the Spanish giants offering a pay rise to the Brazilian superstar.

Yet, there was a very real possibility that Vinicius was open to a Premier League move this summer, with Borson now outlining the finances behind a potential deal.

Vinicius Junior likely to have been paid more than Erling Haaland

Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, Borson explained why the player's transfer fee and salary left the Gunners in an "unrealistic" position.

"He's a brilliant player. It would have been an amazing transaction for Arsenal. But, for me, it always looked slightly unrealistic," he said.

"It was going be such an expensive deal. You're not just talking about, let's say, the highest or joint-highest with [Erling] Haaland in terms of weekly wage.

"All in, that could have been anywhere up to a €1m (£857,000-a-week). You're not just talking about that; you're talking on top of it, Arsenal would have had to have paid a fee of £150m.

"I know they put all the proposals together. I just find it very hard to believe it was ever realistic.

"You can absolutely justify pushing the boat out and paying a bit more than normal. But it would have just been so expensive."

A weekly wage of £857,000-a-week spread over six years, which is the length of the contract Vinicius has just signed with Real, would be worth an astonishing £267m on top of the £150m fee, totalling an extraordinary £417m.

How would Real Madrid's star compare to Arsenal's current players?

It is understood that the highest-paid Premier League player is Man City's Erling Haaland, who earns over £500,000-a-week at the Etihad Stadium.

At the Emirates, however, Bukayo Saka is believed to be the highest-paid player, earning £300,000-a-week, having signed a new contract as recently as January.

Kai Havertz is reportedly up next at £280,000-a-week, followed by Gabriel Jesus at £265,000-a-week, and William Saliba at £250,000-a-week.

Putting this into context really opens the eye to just how expensive Vinicius would have been, and explains why Borson never really saw a deal coming to fruition this summer.