Talks over a new contract for Vinícius Júnior at Real Madrid have been stalled for weeks, a source has told ESPN, with the Brazil international’s representatives believing it wouldn’t make sense to accept the club’s latest offer.
Vinícius, 25, has a deal which runs until June 2027 and earns him around €17 million ($19.8 million) net per season, including bonuses.
In May, the two camps were able to narrow their differences during a meeting, with some sources at that time telling ESPN they thought an agreement was close.
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The forward’s entourage hoped to increase his salary to a fixed €20 million per season, with variables that could increase that figure up to €30 million.
However, sources told ESPN that the club’s final offer was just €20 million, without including the extra €10 million in bonuses.
As a result, the player’s representatives believe the increase would be too small and would not justify a three-season extension until 2030.
Instead, Vinícius’ agents, Fred Pena and Thássilo Soares, have opted to wait and see how the 2025-26 season progresses, monitoring coach Xabi Alonso’s plans for the Brazilian, before making a decision.
Multiple sources told ESPN that Alonso considered leaving Vinícius on the bench for Madrid’s Club World Cup semifinal against Paris Saint-Germain in July, and playing with two forwards, before the late withdrawal of Trent Alexander-Arnold forced a change of plans.
Federico Valverde was then moved to right-back, and Vinícius kept his place in the starting XI alongside Gonzalo García and Kylian Mbappé.
Madrid took the first step towards renewing the star player’s contract in February, despite the fact that Vinícius still had two years left on his contract.
Negotiations began earlier than usual, after it emerged that the forward was the subject of interest from the Saudi Pro League.
However, as ESPN has reported, that Saudi interest has since cooled.
A source told ESPN there has been no further contact with the Saudis since December, and Vinícius’ representatives had now ruled out that possibility.
There was some concern from Vinícius’ camp about the pressure that could be brought to bear by the Spanish media, the source said, with fears that coverage of the ongoing talks could negatively affect public opinion regarding the player.
Vinícius was runner-up in the Men’s Ballon d’Or ranking in 2024, and won FIFA’s The Best Men’s Player award that same year.
However, he had an inconsistent season in 2024-25, scoring 11 goals in 30 LaLiga appearances, as Madrid ended the campaign without winning a major trophy.
