Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior has dominated the headlines again this season, but a new narrative around the Brazilian has also emerged. After it was reported that Saudi Arabia were interested in what seemed like a preposeterous move initially last summer, it is a story that has not gone away.
The money reportedly on offer is mind-boggling, with the Saudi regime willing to shell out €300-400m in a transfer fee for Vinicius, and offer the 24-year-old a contract worth €1b. It has transpired that Vinicius’ agents held talks with Saudi officials in September and December, it was then revealed that the player himself had spoken to Saudi Arabia in a meeting in Prague. What is more, it was supposedly Vinicius’ camp that sought out the encounter.
At the same time, Vinicius has been consistent in publicly maintaining that he wants to stay at Real Madrid for many years, and did so again on Monday. Despite his comments that he wants a deal to be done as soon as possible, Diario AS say that Real Madrid have told Vinicius that talks will resume over a deal in the summer.
In February Real Madrid contact Vinicius to ask what his demands were, and they say that Vinicius is requesting a salary of €20m per annum, for which he would be happy to renew. Currently he earns €15m per season, the highest-paid in the squad alongside Kylian Mbappe, who earns the same. The Madrid-based daily say that the predisposition to get a deal done is there from both sides.
Giving Vinicius that deal would unbalance the salary structure at Real Madrid, and likely mean giving Jude Bellingham a similar rise though. However Vinicius’ camp feel that the €40m signing bonus given to Mbappe is simply a way of masking that the Frenchman is the best-paid player in the team.
