The astronomical transfer bid for Vinicius that could shatter all records

Not directly, but certainly implicitly, this is how the Saudi Pro League CEO, Omar Mugharbel, referred to the possibility of Saudi Arabia casting its net for Vinicius Jr. in the future during an interview with AS on January 11: “This summer, we expect to see some interesting signings. So let’s wait and see what happens with that...” In this case, “that” refers to the Brazilian player. He likely avoided delving deeper out of respect, as the Spanish Super Cup was being held in Saudi Arabia at the time, and Mugharbel was about to meet Florentino Pérez face-to-face. But the intention is clear and, according to AS, will translate into a new offensive this summer.

Saudi Arabia has set its sights on Vinicius Jr. and is planning a tempting offer for the next transfer window—a staggering bid aimed at breaking all records to convince the Brazilian to make a move to the Saudi Pro League. In Saudi Arabia, they understand that such a challenge requires figures never before seen in the football world, and they are prepared to go big: a transfer offer to Real Madrid exceeding $325 million. This sum, whatever the final amount may be, would far surpass the current transfer record set when PSG paid $241 million to trigger Neymar’s release clause and bring him from Barcelona to their Paris project.

Which club can buy Vinicius for $1 billion?

It is unclear which Saudi club Vinicius would join, as the operation is still in its preliminary stages - currently just the preparation of an offer by the buying party, Saudi Arabia as a nation. However, a strong contender is Riyadh’s Al Hilal, one of the capital’s two major clubs (the other being Al Nassr, where Cristiano Ronaldo plays).

Al Hilal is on the verge of finalizing Neymar’s departure, likely to Brazil, leaving the club without a top-tier star to compete with the other Saudi football giants. Al Hilal, though, is not the only option; Saudi Arabia had already approached Vinicius last summer, with Jeddah-based Al Ahli expressing interest at the time. A club executive even confirmed this in an interview. While Real Madrid refused to negotiate then, the player did not shut the door on hearing the details of the offer.

A mega-offer for Vinicius

The proposed details are similar to the deal Saudi Arabia is preparing for this summer: a tax-free net salary of $1.08 billion over five years, or approximately $216 million per season. For now, the player’s position remains unchanged: he is happy at Real Madrid and wants to stay. However, this is undeniably the kind of proposal that could make even the most committed player reconsider.

Real Madrid’s stance, which has not yet been tested with this new offer, will remain the same: the club will point to Vinicius’ release clause, which is set at $1.08 billion. Madrid has no intention of selling the Brazilian star and plans to sit down with his representatives at the end of the season to negotiate a contract extension, including a salary increase. (Currently, after receiving The Best award in December, Vinicius earns close to $21.6 million net per season.)

That said, Real Madrid would not stand in the way of a player requesting to leave for better terms – just as they did with Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema. If Vinicius asks Madrid to listen to Saudi Arabia’s offer, the club will come to the table to secure the best possible deal.

All eyes now turn to this summer, when Saudi Arabia aims to make the most dramatic move of the football transfer market.

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