Arsenal told to raid Premier League rivals for star player in hunt for Vinicius Jr alternative

Arsenal have been tipped to try and sign Brighton star Kaoru Mitoma after missing out on Vinicius Junior.

The Gunners saw their hopes of signing Real Madrid superstar Vinicius end on Thursday, as it was announced he had signed a new six-year deal with the Spanish giants.

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But before that, the Brazilian was heavily linked with a move to the Emirates, amid reports of a stand-off over a new contract.

Vinicius had entered the final year of his previous contract this summer, leading Arsenal to weigh up an approach for him in the hope of a blockbuster transfer.

However, their dreams soon ended as the forward then agreed fresh terms on a new long-term deal at the Santiago Bernabeu.

What next for Arsenal?

Arsenal will now begin their search for alternative attacking targets, with Mikel Arteta keen to strengthen his left-wing options after the club announced Bruno Guimaraes’ £75million arrival in midfield.

The Gunners have already secured the signing of Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge after Leandro Trossard left to join Besiktas, but have been continually linked with a more high-profile move this summer.

After missing out on Vinicius, talkSPORT’s Ben Jacobs revealed that Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez is now a ‘dream target’, while Everton star Iliman Ndiaye and Bradley Barcola – who is being pursued by Liverpool – were other potential options.

‘Scarily good’

talkSPORT pundit Tony Cascarino believes Brighton and Japan forward Mitoma could be exactly what Arsenal need on the left wing.

Mitoma has earned a strong reputation since joining the Seagulls in 2021, and has just a year left on his current contract at the Amex, meaning he could likely be bought for a cut price.

Speaking on the Weekend Sports Breakfast, Cascarino said: “If he was a tad younger and hadn’t had so many injuries, I’d really look at him.

“I thought Mitoma, when he’s been Brighton’s best player, he’s scarily good. 

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“He had a poor season last year, and a number of injuries. I think he scored three goals in the league for Brighton last year.

“But he’s a dangerous winger – he wants to take people on all the time. And Arsenal have got cover there, so, yeah [I’d go for him].”

Mitoma struggled for fitness in the 2025/26 campaign, and ultimately missed out on Japan’s World Cup squad after suffering a hamstring injury against Wolves in May.

However, he has carved out a strong reputation over the last four years in the Premier League with Brighton.

The Japanese star marked his debut season in English football in the 2022/23 campaign by scoring seven league goals, helping the Seagulls to a best-ever sixth-place finish and sealing Europa League football.

His best-scoring season came in 2024/25, where he netted 10 times in the Premier League, before turning down interest from European giants Bayern Munich in the subsequent transfer window.

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Rashford option explored

Mitoma wasn’t the only familiar name suggested as an option for Arsenal, with host Shebahn Aherne also highlighting Marcus Rashford‘s availability.

The England star’s future remains unclear as he prepares to return to Manchester United after Barcelona chose not sign him permanently.

Rashford has long been tipped for a move to the Gunners, although no attempt to sign him has been made this summer, while bitter rivals Tottenham have even been touted as a potential destination.

But Cascarino was less sold on Arsenal snapping him up, admitting his up-and-down career raises questions marks over his suitability.

On Rashford, he said: “It’s such a hard call on Marcus Rashford, because there’s a part of you that thinks, absolutely, he could go and [shine at a big club].

“At his very best, he can really hurt teams. But everyone’s the same thing – they’re not sure.

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“Everybody I spoke to about Marcus Rashford is not sure whether he could go and do it for a club, whether he could do it and stay at Manchester United. I just don’t know.”

With new Red Devils boss Michael Carrick previously leaving the door open for Rashford to be reintegrated into the squad, Cascarino admitted his future could still lie at Old Trafford.

He added: “It’s a coin flip, but I think Man United are in a perfect position to go, ‘We’ll have a look’. Michael Carrick [is] managing him now, new one. I don’t know, it’s a real tough one.”