If every negotiation is a compromise, Real Madrid will be forced to do something they are not particularly fond of with Vinicius Junior. The Brazilian has communicated his contract demands to Los Blancos, but they have little intention of fulfilling them.
That is according to Relevo. Vinicius has been courted since last summer by Saudi Arabia, with talk of a €1b contract for Vinicius and a €300m bid for Real Madrid dominating the Spanish press for months. Recent weeks have seen that talk intensify, after it was revealed that Vinicius had met with Saudi officials in Prague to hear out their offer.
This week Real Madrid contacted his camp to find out their demands for a new deal, and were told that not only does Vinicius want to earn more than Kylian Mbappe, but that he wants in excess of €25m per season. However Real Madrid have no intention of breaking their salary structure for Vinicius.
Alongside Mbappe, Vinicius is already earning €15m per year at the top of that structure, although the Frenchman receives slightly more from his image rights agreement. If Real Madrid do not meet his demands or at least come close to them, then there is a ‘a very real chance’ that he moves to Saudi Arabia, and after hearing their demands, the feeling at the Santiago Bernabeu is that a possible exit for Vinicius is gaining momentum.
President Florentino Perez is keen to avoid what happened at Barcelona, where Lionel Messi earned a disproportionate salary compared to the rest of the squad, dragging the price of other contracts up. Under no circumstances will he break the salary the structure, and while Vinicius could be given a minor rise in order to equal Mbappe’s salary, Perez will not consider a scenario where he earns more than last summer’s star signing.