'I've heard Josh Kroenke leading Arsenal's Vinicius Junior chase with £470,000-a-week package'
Arsenal undoubtedly have the financial muscle to complete the signing of Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior this summer.
That is according to former Everton chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, who believes that a move for the Brazilian is "not impossible" for the Gunners.
Recent reports have suggested that the 26-year-old has already decided to stay at Madrid, but it is understood that Arsenal are still chasing a deal.
Wyness believes that Arsenal's co-chairman Josh Kroenke has taken personal control of the pursuit, and is prepared to offer the wideman a hugely lucrative contract.
The Spanish giants have already made it clear that they value Vinicius in the region of the £140million mark, meaning Arsenal would have to pay a British-record fee to land him.
He notched 23 goals and 11 assists in all competitions last term, and is widely regarded as one of the best players in world football.
Keith Wyness raises Vinicius Junior concern
Everton’s former chief Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – believes that Vinicius' abrasive character could make him prone to clashes with Mikel Arteta if a deal went through.
He labelled that prospect as an "issue," and noted that a player must "tick all the boxes" for a club if they are going to spend such an eye-watering fee to sign him.
Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider's Inside Track podcast, Wyness revealed that Vinicius is likely to demand a weekly wage of up to £470,000 if he were to move to the Emirates Stadium.
"It's going to be a stretch, but it's not impossible. The Kroenkes have obviously got the ability to do it, and it's how they financially structure that sort of scale of a transaction within the spending limits," he said.
"But I think there's a way that they could do it. Now, from speaking to one of my Arsenal guys, he did say that it's Josh Kroenke who has taken personal control of this negotiation. And that means they're taking it seriously.
"I think though there are issues around Vinicius Junior in terms of his mental state. You know, is he going to be a real problem for Arteta? Will he and Arteta clash heads? It's definitely an issue that they've got to consider.
"That's the one grey area around this deal. It's a huge amount of money, and you've got to make sure every single box is ticked.
"They're talking of wages that are going to be somewhere around, I've heard, £470,000-a-week, which is a huge amount for Arsenal."
Arsenal stars to 'ask questions' over Vinicius deal
Former Manchester United chief scout Mick Brown told Football Insider earlier this week that several Arsenal stars would likely be "asking questions" about their wages if the club landed Vinicius.
Bukayo Saka is thought to be the club's highest earner at the moment, with his new contract pushing him up to the £300,000-a-week mark.
Vinicius' demands significantly eclipse that, and Brown believes it could cause Arsenal a "major problem" behind the scenes if they got the deal over the line.
The ex-recruitment man expects that it would cause other players to ask for pay increases, which could in turn affect the atmosphere at the club.