Online Reporter
ARSENAL stars cooled off in a swimming pool after jetting to Girona for their pre-season opener.
The Gunners will take on the second tier Spanish side at their diminutive Montilivi home this Saturday.
Ahead of the match, boss Mikel Arteta has taken his side over to Catalonia for a training camp.
On day one of the trip, the Gunners completed a session on the pitch in addition to further gym work.
To cool down at the end of the day, Arsenal stars enjoyed themselves in the pool.
The group splashed around with a ball playing head tennis – with plenty of stars laughing and beaming during the recovery session.
Players that went deep in the World Cup, including England stars Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Noni Madueke and Eberechi Eze, are still on holiday.
But high-profile players including Kai Havertz, Viktor Gyokeres and Gabriel Jesus are on the trip.
Boss Arteta has been able to run the rule over new signings Christos Tzolis and Illan Meslier.
And forgotten men Reiss Nelson and Fabio Vieira are also on the trip following loan spells last season.
Following Saturday’s Girona clash, Arsenal will play further friendlies against Real Betis, Borussia Dortmund and Como.
They will then take on FA Cup winners Manchester City in the Community Shield on August 16.
Meanwhile, Arsenal’s pursuit of Vinicius Junior will not become any easier if Real Madrid sign Yan Diomande.
Real are closing in on a deal worth over £100million to sign Diomande from RB Leipzig this summer.
But even if the 19-year-old winger arrives at the Bernabeu, Real Madrid are expected to maintain their stance that they want to keep Vinicius Jr.
Arsenal are exploring a deal to sign Vinicius, who currently has just one year remaining on his deal at the Bernabeu.
Los Blancos have opened new talks to tie the Brazilian superstar down to a new long-term contract this week, but are yet to make a breakthrough in negotiations.
New boss Jose Mourinho also wants to keep hold of all of his star players this summer, however if no agreement is reached Madrid would want to avoid losing Vinicius on a free transfer next year.
The LaLiga club’s move for Diomande is understood to have no bearing on their stance that they wish to keep Vinicius.
And Diomande actually played the majority of his games for Leipzig last season on the right wing, the opposite flank to Vinicius.
Arsenal are closely monitoring Vinicius’ situation as talks over a new deal continue this week.
Despite the 26-year-old earning an eye-watering £400,000-per-week at the Bernabeu, Arsenal are confident they can meet his wage demands if a deal does materialise.
Any contract would make him Arsenal’s highest paid player ever.
Mikel Arteta is hoping to strengthen his front line further having already brought in Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge last week in a £34m deal.
The Gunners have already missed out on signing top target Morgan Rogers, who was swiped from underneath their noses by rivals Chelsea in a record £117m transfer.
Arsenal are still in for Newcastle star Bruno Guimaraes, too.
The Toon captain has told club chiefs he would like to sign for Arsenal, but Newcastle bosses are keen to keep hold of their midfield maestro after already losing Sandro Tonali to Tottenham -Sun.
