Arsenal are not just chasing Vinicius Junior from Real Madrid this summer, they are reportedly interested in a second unnamed player from the Bernabeu, according to ESPN journalist Alex Kirkland, speaking on YouTube with Charles Watts. That is not vague transfer noise, it is a named journalist relaying a direct conversation with a well-connected colleague in Spain. The identity of the second player is unknown, but the field of realistic candidates is narrow enough to make some informed judgments.
Kirkland was explicit about the sourcing: he had spoken to his ESPN colleague Rodra, who covers Real Madrid closely, and Rodra had been told that Vinicius was not Arsenal’s only target at the club. No name was attached to that information. What follows is an assessment of four names that have circulated as possibilities, Arda Guler, Endrick, Federico Valverde, and Aurelien Tchouameni, ranked here by plausibility, with the structural logic unpacked for each.
Arsenal’s summer recruitment picture shapes the analysis. Reports indicate Arsenal and Newcastle have reached an agreement for Bruno Guimaraes, with the deal now in its final stages, which immediately affects how a second Madrid midfielder would fit. And the broader pursuit of elite left-sided forward options narrows the attacker question considerably.
1. Arda Guler: The Most Intriguing, But Probably Not Available
Reports emerged in April that Arsenal sounded out Guler’s representatives, only to be told the 20-year-old Turkey international was happy to remain in Madrid. That enquiry is now on record, which makes Guler the candidate with the most concrete Arsenal footprint behind him, even if the trail went cold.
The case for Guler is obvious to anyone who has watched him. He is a creative, technically elite midfielder-cum-winger who fits the profile of player Mikel Arteta has consistently built his squad around. He is young, improving rapidly, and has already demonstrated he can impact Champions League football. The counter-argument is equally clear: Real Madrid have no structural reason to sell a 20-year-old they regard as a future cornerstone, and his stated contentment in Madrid isn’t easily dismissed.
If Arsenal revived interest, it would likely require either a significant shift in Guler’s own thinking or an extraordinary fee that persuaded Madrid to cash in. Neither appears imminent. File him as the most romantically appealing candidate and the least realistically available one.
2. Endrick: Uncertain Role, But Madrid Hold The Cards
Endrick presents a different kind of complexity. Arsenal are reported to appreciate the Brazilian forward, and the logic is credible: at 18, he is caught in a squad where the attacking hierarchy runs through Vinicius, Mbappe, and Rodrygo, which limits his development runway in the short term.
The question is whether Real Madrid would countenance selling a player they paid a substantial fee for just as he is transitioning into senior football. The answer from Madrid’s side is almost certainly no, at least not in any conventional sense. They would not actively market Endrick, but if Arsenal came with a number that reframed the conversation, the uncertainty around his role makes it less straightforward for Madrid to refuse than it would be with a more established starter.
From Arsenal’s perspective, a teenage centre-forward arriving alongside Vinicius would be a bold long-term bet, but it doesn’t obviously solve a pressing positional need in the way a midfielder or a full-back would. He is a plausible second target if Arsenal are thinking about the squad in 2027 rather than 2026.
3. Federico Valverde: The Wild Card With An Actual Exit Trigger
Valverde is the most surprising name on this list and arguably the one with the most genuine structural basis. Reports earlier this year suggested both Valverde and Tchouameni could be available this summer following a significant training-ground altercation between the pair, a bust-up reportedly serious enough to generate speculation about departures for both.
At 26, Valverde is a different proposition from the others. He isn’t a peripheral squad player or a young talent finding his footing, he’s a proven, high-intensity, box-to-box midfielder who has been central to Madrid’s success across multiple Champions League campaigns. The idea that Arsenal could prize him away is a stretch, but the training ground incident introduced a variable that didn’t exist twelve months ago.
Whether Arteta’s system would deploy him optimally is a legitimate question. Valverde’s profile, driving runs, relentless pressing, reliable in transition, overlaps with what Arsenal already have in Thomas Partey’s mould, though the Uruguayan operates at a considerably higher ceiling. If the Guimaraes deal completes, fitting Valverde into the midfield becomes harder to justify. But if Madrid are genuinely open to listening, the profile isn’t a mismatch.
4. Aurelien Tchouameni: Theoretically Available, Practically Redundant
Of the four names, Tchouameni is the one with the most explicit availability signal behind him. Reports in late June suggested Real Madrid are more open to selling the French midfielder than other names on their roster, and the same training-ground narrative that touched Valverde applies here too.
The problem from Arsenal’s vantage point is that the Guimaraes pursuit makes a second defensive midfielder signing look redundant. Tchouameni is a quality player, 25, physically imposing, comfortable in possession and disciplined defensively, but Arsenal aren’t short of that archetype. Adding him and Guimaraes would represent a significant outlay in one positional area while other areas remain unaddressed.
That said, the Guimaraes deal isn’t yet fully confirmed. If it stalls or collapses, Tchouameni becomes far more relevant. He is the candidate most likely to be sold by Madrid, which paradoxically makes him one of the more realistic targets even if he isn’t currently the most strategically urgent one for Arsenal.
Why This Matters Beyond The Rumour
Arsenal and Real Madrid have a functional working relationship that stretches back through Mesut Ozil, Martin Odegaard, and loan arrangements for Julio Baptista and Dani Ceballos. The corridor between the two clubs isn’t unfamiliar territory. What would be unprecedented is the scale of ambition implied by a double raid, Vinicius and any of these players would collectively represent a statement of transfer intent unlike anything Arsenal have managed in the modern era.
The wage bill context at Madrid is also relevant background. Real are navigating salary commitments at the very top of the squad, Mbappe’s contract alone reshaped their financial architecture, and any player they are willing to move represents real budget relief. That pressure is a structural reason why figures like Tchouameni might be genuinely on the market rather than simply being floated to generate leverage.
It’s worth noting, as a point of context, that speculation around Rodri and Real Madrid has surfaced in the background of this window too, which speaks to the degree of midfield reshuffling being discussed at the Bernabeu. Whether any of that directly affects the players on Arsenal’s radar is unclear, but it adds to the sense that Madrid’s midfield is less settled than it appeared twelve months ago.
The Arsenal-Real Madrid dynamic has not always been cooperative, Madrid tracked Declan Rice before his move to the Emirates, but the current window suggests a more transactional relationship where both clubs see mutual benefit in doing business.
Who Is Arsenal’s Mystery Second Target?
The honest answer is that nobody outside of Arsenal’s recruitment department knows who the second player is, and Kirkland’s source was clear that the identity remains unnamed. What the reporting does confirm is that Arsenal’s interest in Madrid’s squad runs deeper than the Vinicius headline suggests.
Of the four candidates, Guler is the most exciting and the least gettable. Endrick is the longest of long-term bets. Valverde is the wild card with a plausible exit narrative. Tchouameni is the most structurally available but the hardest to fit into a squad already pursuing Guimaraes in the same position. None of them are done deals, confirmed targets, or even named by the original source, but the sourcing chain here, Kirkland via Rodra, is credible enough to take seriously. The window is not over, and Arsenal are clearly not finished.
