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Mikel Arteta has spoken about the increasing speculation surrounding Arsenal's interest in Vinicius Junior, saying the club will be 'very ambitious' in the upcoming transfer window. The Gunners are understood to be keeping a close watch on the Brazilian's contract situation at Real Madrid as they aim to bring world-class quality into their forward line.

Arteta responds to transfer talk amid Vinicius rumours

The Arsenal manager kept his cards close to his chest when asked about a possible move for Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior, but he did make the club's intentions clear. Speaking after the Gunners' emphatic 4-1 pre-season win over Girona, the Spaniard stressed that the North London club are prepared to move aggressively in the market for fresh talent.

'Expect to have movements'

When asked directly about the prospect of signing the Brazilian winger, Arteta chose his words carefully while still outlining his aims. "Well we are really active, trying to improve and evolve the team. That's clear," Arteta said. "We expect to have movements in the next few weeks, obviously, because we want to get better like anybody else.

"And you can just see it. The transfer market and our opponents, what we are doing - we won't sit still. And we are very ambitious in what we want to do.

"The margins are very small. And because we want to get better and the level is going to increase, we need to increase the competition internally. We need to make sure we identify the things that we don't have in the team, to have bigger margins. And that's the way we have to think."

Gunners ready for record-breaking investment

Arsenal's interest in Vinicius Junior comes at a time when the 26-year-old's future in the Spanish capital appears to be growing more uncertain. With only one year left on his current contract at the Bernabeu, reports indicate that Arsenal are willing to break their wage structure in order to tempt the forward to the Premier League.

Arteta has previously spoken about the need for signings capable of taking the club to a 'different dimension,' and bringing in a Ballon d'Or runner-up would certainly match that description.

Stall in Madrid contract talks

The main reason for Arsenal's belief lies in the continuing contract deadlock between Vinicius and the Real Madrid hierarchy. Reports claim Los Blancos may be pushed into an unwilling sale if an agreement is not reached soon, as they are wary of losing the player on a free transfer next summer.

That stand-off has created an opening for the Gunners, who are positioning themselves to move if negotiations in Spain break down completely. While no personal terms have been settled so far, the attraction of the Premier League and Arteta's project is believed to appeal to the Brazil international.