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Arsenal failed with a summer move for Vinicius Junior after Real Madrid rebuffed their interest in the Brazilian starlet.

The Gunners' new technical director Edu identified the 19-year-old as a target over the off-season and attempted to use their shared nationality to his advantage. However, both he and Paris Saint-Germain counterpart Leonardo were informed by Los Blancos that the wonderkid was not up for sale.

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Esporte write that Real 'immediately blocked' the north London outfit as they sought to land Vinicius, who has been with the Spaniards since July 2018.

Madrid paid €46m to bring him in from Flamengo in his home country, the forward signing a pre-contract agreement a year before he joined the club due to international transfer regulations preventing a switch before his 18th birthday.

Vinicius made 31 appearances in all competitions last term, scoring four goals as Real endured a torrid campaign.

The youngster's form was one of the few positives to come out of 2018/19, a year in which Los Blancos failed to win a single piece of silverware and suffered a Champions League last-16 exit at the hands of Ajax.

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Arsenal were likewise trophyless last season. Unai Emery's debut campaign finished with the Gunners in fifth position in the Premier League, their 4-1 Europa League final loss to Chelsea confirming another season outside of Europe's elite competition.

In a bid to bring an end to their exile, the board made several interesting signings in the summer. Nicolas Pepe, William Saliba, Kieran Tierney, David Luiz and Gabriel Martinelli were all brought in on permanent deals, the quintet costing a combined £140m to be paid over several years.

They also landed one of Vinicius' teammates at the Bernabeu, forking out £15m for the loan of Dani Ceballos.