Arsenal have reportedly maintained contacts with the camp of Real Madrid forward Rodrygo Goes after missing out on his teammate Vinicius Junior this summer.

The Gunners have previously targeted Rodrygo, but any move was put on hold as he struggled with a serious injury.

However, the Brazil international is now closer to a comeback, and it seems Arsenal have remained in touch with those close to the player.

That’s according to a report from TEAMtalk, which states that Arsenal are still interested in Rodrygo as an alternative to Vinicius on that left-hand side of their attack.

Should Arsenal keep trying to sign Rodrygo Goes?

Arsenal fans will probably have mixed views on the Rodrygo links, as he’s not really at the same level as someone like Vinicius, or even other summer targets like Morgan Rogers, Bradley Barcola, and Julian Alvarez.

Rodrygo Goes in action for Real Madrid (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)

The 25-year-old undoubtedly has quality and has shown himself to be an important player for Real Madrid on his day, but it’s debatable if he’s really the kind of player who’s going to lift Arsenal to the next level.

There are also surely legitimate concerns about Rodrygo’s fitness after such a lengthy spell out, with AFC already having enough problems with their current players when it comes to repeated absences through injury.

Vinicius would have been a hugely exciting statement signing by Arsenal, but it wasn’t possible, so it seems a strange strategy to go after what some might see as the less good version.

It will be interesting to see how Rodrygo performs once he’s back to full fitness and playing regularly again, but for now it doesn’t seem to make much sense for Arsenal to make him a priority.

The north London giants should have a vast scouting network that could perhaps help them find the next big thing if they’re unable to convince a genuine superstar like Vini Jr to join.

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