In recent weeks, there has been a lot of speculation surrounding the future of Vinicius Junior, who has been linked with a move away from Real Madrid – specifically, to Saudi Arabia. The 24-year-old has remarked on multiple occasions that he wants to remain at the Santiago Bernabeu for many years to come, but that has not stopped the rumours.
Vinicius has appeared to entertain the interest from Saudi Arabia, and because of this, it is not guaranteed that he will remain at Real Madrid – although club officials are relaxed about the situation, and they expect the Brazilian superstar to sign a new contract before the end of the season.
However, this confidence is not total, with Real Madrid officials having started to prepare for life after Vinicius. According to Sport, an offer above €250m would be accepted if the player requested a transfer, and in the event of that happening, the club has started to draw up a list of possible replacements.
As per the report from the Catalan daily, Real Madrid are currently considering two players as possible Vinicius Junior replacements: Athletic Club’s Nico Williams, and Bayer Leverkusen playmaker Florian Wirtz.
At this stage, Williams would be the preferred choice for Real Madrid, given that he is cheaper, Spanish and he is a like-for-like replacement in the sense that he is also predominantly a left winger. However, the possible signing of Wirtz would gain traction if Xabi Alonso were to replace Carlo Ancelotti as head coach, which is something that is expected to happen either this summer or next.
Real Madrid are surely hopeful that all of this planning proves to be meaningless in the end, as they will be desperate for Vinicius to remain at the club for many years to come. However, that cannot be guaranteed at this stage.
