Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Junior closer to turning down Saudi Arabia

Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Junior has spent much of the season being linked with a move away from the club, as Saudi Arabia look to make him the latest big-name signing from the European elite. However he is moving closer and closer to a contract renewal with Real Madrid.

Vinicius’ current deal expires in 2027, meaning Los Balncos will be keen to tie up a new deal with him before next summer to avoid being pushed into a poor negotiating position. However the sticking point was that Vinicius was seemingly keen on a wage rise that would have paid him more than Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham, breaking the wage structure at the club – something President Florentino Perez is against doing.

At the same time, Saudi Arabia have been pursuing Vinicius since last summer. His representatives reportedly met with their intermediaries in September, and had contact again in December, before a face-to-face meeting with Vinicius in Prague in February. The numbers are enough to make anyone doubt – a reported €1b contract offer and a potential transfer fee in excess of €300m.

Those are hypotheticals though, and according to Cadena SER, Vinicius is moving closer and closer to a contract renewal. Following reports that he was closer to agreeing terms with Real Madrid, they explain that Vinicius is not convinced by the five-year contract that Saudi Arabia are offering, as he does not want to commit for such a long period. Saudi Arabia do not feel it is worth spending so big if Vinicius is only there for one or two years, hence Vinicius is now closer to a three or four-year renewal.

Vinicius is undoubtedly one of their best players, and has been arguably their most decisive over the last three to four seasons, even if this year he has struggled more. The job for Carlo Ancelotti, or whomever is in charge next year, will be to find a way of getting the best out of Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius in the same system, something yet to occur this year.