Vinícius Júnior upbeat under José Mourinho amid Arsenal transfer links

Vinícius Júnior is settling into life under the new Real Madrid manager, José ⁠Mourinho, with a smile on his face even as uncertainty swirls around the Brazil forward’s future at the Bernabéu.

The 26-year-old, who has ⁠been ​one of the linchpins of Real Madrid’s attack in recent years, gave an upbeat assessment of his second ⁠day of pre-season training under Mourinho despite speculation linking him with a possible move to Arsenal.

“It has ⁠gone very well, getting to know the new coach and the new ​players, and training very hard,” ‌Vinícius told Real Madrid ‌TV. “Mourinho wants me to be as I have always been: happy, cheerful ‌and playing my football.”

Vinícius’s cheerful demeanour, however, masks a potentially thorny situation brewing behind the scenes. He is in the final year of his Real Madrid contract, with speculation that the club and player remain locked in negotiations while Arsenal explore a potential transfer.

Vinícius has scored 128 goals for Madrid and provided 100 assists, with the club reluctant to ​let one of their prized assets leave for free next year.

He had a busy summer playing for Brazil at the World Cup, where they were knocked out in the last 16, and his focus now is ⁠on preparing for the new campaign.

“We have to prepare physically ​so that during the ​season we have fewer ​injuries and can count on everyone,” said Vinícius, who was ​Brazil’s top scorer ‌at the ​World Cup with ​four goals.

“It was a good training session and we all left very tired, but now it’s time to rest for tomorrow. That’s how pre-season is and we have to be ready.”