Not Seven: Arsenal shirt numbers Vinicius Junior could wear if £150m transfer materialises

Arsenal are exploring a sensational move for Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior, and the deal could be accelerated in the next few days if the player doesn't accept Los Blancos' contract offer.

The Gunners are in the market for an elite wide forward this summer, and Mikel Arteta has identified Vinicius as his top target. Leandro Trossard has made way for Christos Tzolis, who has joined from Club Brugge for £34 million, but the North Londoners still want to source an upgrade on Gabriel Martinelli.

Vinicius is the best player potentially available on the market, and the Gunners are subsequently monitoring the 26-year-old's situation at the Bernabeu. If he and the Spanish giants cannot agree terms in the coming days, then Arsenal are ready to pounce to secure the superstar.

If they can get the blockbuster deal over the line, for a mooted fee of £150 million, it'll undoubtedly be the statement signing of the summer.

Shirt numbers available to Vinicius Junior at Arsenal

As a prospective deal for Vinicius progresses, the fanfare around the signing will build. This exhilaration includes envisaging the player in a red and white shirt, and that includes picturing which number he could wear.

While the Brazilian has worn several numbers throughout his career to date, he has become synonymous with the number seven. The divisive forward has donned this iconic number in Madrid since Eden Hazard departed the Spanish capital in 2023 and it has since become a part of his distinguished look.

However, this number won't be on offer at Arsenal. Bukayo Saka has held the number seven at the Emirates since 2020, inheriting it from Henrikh Mkhitaryan. While Vinicius will no doubt want the seven shirt if he seals a move to North London, it's extremely unlikely that the Gunners would take it away from their starboy.

He'll have to settle for another number, and there are several options on the table.

Before he wore seven at Real Madrid, he wore 20, which he also donned at his first club, Flamengo. He explained back when he switched to this number with Los Blancos, that 20 gave him comfort, as it was his first shirt in senior football.

Unfortunately for Vinicius, this number is also taken at Arsenal, with Noni Madueke given it when he signed from Chelsea last summer.

In his early days in Madrid, he wore 25 and 28. Both of these numbers are available after being vacated by Mohamed Elneny and Joe Willock, so they are options for the maverick man.

However, Arsenal will want to capitalise on one of their biggest ever signings by maximising the commercial value the addition would generate. 25 and 28 aren't particularly note-worthy numbers for the brand, so the Gunners may look to give him something more eye-catching.

Beyond the first 11, nothing is particularly saleable, barring the iconic number 14 at Arsenal (made famous by Thierry Henry). However, this number is taken by Viktor Gyokeres, who is unlikely to leave after just one season.

Thus, the best possible action might be to wait for departures. Number 11 would make the most sense, given this is the traditional shirt for a left winger, and with Martinelli potentially leaving, this could work perfectly.

Another possible unconventional route would be to hand Vinicius number nine, which might look bizarre for a wide man, but this sort of quirky route can quickly become iconic. Gabriel Jesus is another likely to part ways with Arsenal this summer, which would open up this possibility,

Other Vinicius shirt number options at Arsenal include 15, 18, 19, 26, 27 and several over 30.

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