Real Madrid are believed to have offered Vinicius Junior a hefty salary increase which could see the Brazil star earn a staggering £18.5million (€22m) per year against the backdrop of keen interest in the player from Arsenal. The Gunners made initial enquiries into the player last week, with manager Mikel Arteta insisting that the Premier League winners will be ‘very ambitious’ during the summer’s transfer window. But Daily Mail Sport reported on Monday that Los Blancos had responded in kind by re-opening transfer talks with Vinicius after earlier discussions had stalled last season. According to ESPN, on the table is an increased salary which could give him a rise of almost £4m, with Vinicius’ current deal believed to see him rake in £14.9m per season. Vinicius is not thought to have an issue with the salary on offer from president Florentino Perez, however, the parties are yet to reach an agreement on a potential signing-on fee. It is also not yet clear how long the new contract ties Vinicius to the club, with the player’s current deal coming to an end in less than a year. Real Madrid have offered Vinicius Junior an eye-watering salary increase as they attempt to pin him down with a new deal The Brazilian striker returned to his club’s set-up on Monday after his post-World Cup breakShould Vinicius not sign a new deal, Real Madrid would be forced to see one of their marquee players depart on a free transfer, with the possibility of him signing a pre-contract from January. The player is thought to view any contract he signs with Los Blancos, where he has played since 2018, as the defining deal of his career – and recognition of his efforts for the club that in recent seasons have seen him become a Ballon d’Or contender in their colours. Vinicius returned to join his team-mates at their pre-season camp on Monday to undergo the standard start-of-season medical tests and train for the first time under new manager Jose Mourinho. Arteta meanwhile has remained bullish about his plans for the rest of the window, following the £34m signing of Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge. ‘We expect to have movements in the next few weeks, obviously,’ Arteta said following Arsenal’s pre-season friendly against Girona. ‘We want to get better like anybody else, and you can see the transfer market and our opponents… We won’t sit still and we are very ambitious with what we are doing.‘The margins are very small. 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.’But the Gunners have already been rebuffed in their pursuit of Bruno Guimaraes, with Newcastle turning down a bid from north London.