Real Madrid willing to lose Vinicius Junior over contract demands

The stand off between Real Madrid and star forward Vinicius Junior is showing no sign of ending any time soon. The two parties were due to sign a new contract this summer, but a change in demands from the player’s side appears to have killed that prospect dead in the water.

Vinicius went into last season arguably as the biggest star on the pitch at Real Madrid, but ended it very much as second fiddle to Kylian Mbappe in their attack. Amid talk of a move to Saudi Arabia, Vinicius and Real Madrid entered into contract talks, and during the spring, there were reports of an agreement on a new deal. Yet Vinicius’ camp have seemingly increased their demands, asking that he receive a higher salary than Mbappe, or at least even including his bonuses.

Real Madrid will not meet those demands under any circumstances though, as reported by El Chiringuito. They say that Los Blancos are willing to lose the Brazilian superstar on a free if necessary, if he is not willing to lower his salary request, believed to be around €25m per year, and sign a new deal.

Meanwhile Cadena SER (via MD) explain that with the season underway, both sides have agreed to place full focus on the pitch, and have postponed talks. They are not expected to resume conversations until the end of the year.

The 25-year-old currently has two years left on his deal, and leaving it until next summer would certainly be a risk, as running down his contract becomes a very real option at that point. Nevertheless, Los Blancos have been shrewd sellers in recent years, and it would be a surprise if it came to that. Postponing talks until then does leave Los Blancos in a more vulnerable position.