Arsenal, Liverpool ruled out as Zidane confirms Real winger won’t move

Samuel Bannister 30 Nov 2019 12:18 PM

Arsenal have no chance of signing Vinicius Junior from Real Madrid in January, after Zinedine Zidane confirmed the winger remains part of his plans.

The Gunners have been linked with an audacious move for the Brazilian starlet over the past few months, as they look to make amends for the slow start to the season that has cost Unai Emery his job.

Emery was dismissed on Friday after overseeing Arsenal’s worst run of form in 27 years, with Freddie Ljungberg taking interim control.

While the managerial situation makes it unclear which targets Arsenal will pursue, any hopes of keeping up their interest in Vinicius have faded.

Recent reports also suggested Liverpool as a potential destination, but both paths appear to have gone cold after Zidane promised that Vinicius’ future would be at the Bernabeu.

“Vinicius is not going anywhere in January,” the Madrid boss said. “He’s staying here.

“What has changed with Vinicius is that we have Hazard and also Rodrygo and I have to choose, but he is training well.”

The player himself also appears keen on a long-term stay at Madrid, having said in September: “Zidane always tells me to be relaxed and to keep growing. Because if I do so, and because I am treated so well by everybody, he says that I will be playing there for a very long time, much like Casemiro.”

Arsenal’s current plight, which has seen Unai Emery sacked and Freddie Ljungberg announced as his interim replacement, has also appeared to dissuade another Real Madrid man from making a prospective move to Emirates Stadium in January.

According to reports on Friday, James Rodriguez has told his agent he has no intention of joining the Gunners after they were allegedly labelled a ‘sinking ship’ by the Colombian playmaker.