Mbappé in his sights: Vinícius Júnior targets big-money Real Madrid contract
Real Madrid are preparing to negotiate a new contract with Vinícius Júnior, who will be entering the final two years of his deal this summer.
Real Madrid will attempt to agree a new contract with Vinícius Júnior next summer, when the Brazilian will be reaching a crucial juncture in his current deal. At the end of the season, the forward is due to head into the final two years of his Madrid agreement - and when it comes to players that are central to the club’s long-term plans, Los Blancos are eager not to let this happen.
Vinícius, who remains a prime transfer target for the cash-rich Saudi Pro League, has enjoyed a stellar calendar year, leading him to be named The Best Men’s Player at the FIFA Football Awards this month. Having registered career-best figures in 2024, Vinícius is now looking for a pay rise that would place him in the same salary bracket as Madrid’s top earner, Kylian Mbappé.
When did Vinícius last extend his Real Madrid contract?
Vinícius last renewed his Madrid deal in 2023 - his first extension since joining the club five years previously. When the 24-year-old penned his current agreement with the LaLiga giants, his contract urgently needed updating. He was the squad’s second-lowest-paid player, with an after-tax salary of just €1.5 million a year ($1.6m). Vinícius’s revised deal, which expires on June 30, 2027, includes a €1 billion ($1.04bn) buy-out fee, and earned the player a significant pay hike.
However, his improved salary remains below the team’s top bracket. When he signed the contract, Toni Kroos and David Alaba were Madrid’s highest earners, with deals worth just over €10m (€10.4m) a year. That status has since been taken over by Mbappé, who is thought to have been given a net annual salary of about €15m ($15.6m) as part of his July free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain.
When Madrid and Vinícius sit down to discuss a new deal, the player’s bargaining power will be boosted by the fact that he has been - at the very least - no less important to this season’s team than Mbappé.
Could Vinícius Júnior be lured to Saudi Arabia?
Vinicius will also be able to point to the significant Saudi interest in his services, which saw three-time domestic champions Al Ahli offer him soccer’s biggest ever contract last summer. Given the size of the deal placed in front of him, Vinícius wanted to at least hear the Saudis out; but Madrid refused to negotiate, pointing the prospective buyers to the player’s 10-figure release clause.
However, AS understands that a renewed Saudi offensive is expected in the coming close season. Not only is the Saudi Pro League eager to pull off a major transfer coup, but the Middle Eastern kingdom wants to make the Brazilian international one of the major faces of its World Cup project, having this month won the right to host the international tournament in 2034.
Vini agent’s winning formula
As Vinícius targets a bumper pay rise at the Bernabéu, the strength of his present negotiating position represents a victory for the contract strategy adopted by his agent, Frederico Pena. In 2023, it was Pena who advised the player to commit to only a four-year Madrid deal, favoring a shorter-term renewal than team-mates such as Rodrygo Goes and Éder Militao, who both signed on until 2028. At the heart of Pena’s approach is a determination that his clients should retain as much control as possible over their own futures.
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