Vinicius Jnr is believed to be seeking to improve upon his contract extension terms with Real Madrid by leveraging his deal against an offer with Saudi Arabia - which reportedly does not exist - with some at the club would be reportedly keen for him to take up.
The Brazilian forward is one of the brightest stars amongst Los Blancos' galacticos and was thought to be close to signing a deal to prolong his stay at the Bernabeu.
Vinicius is currently contracted through until 2027 and is one of the highest earners at the club, but the finer points of a new deal are still yet to be confirmed.
The ongoing negotiations come against the backdrop of an imperfect season for the LaLiga giants, who could end the campaign without silverware after all but confirming the title for Barcelona after defeat in Sunday's El Clasico.
Earlier this year, it was claimed Vinicius was offered a five-year deal worth £830million to play in Saudi in a deal that would also see him become an ambassador for the 2034 World Cup.
But a recent report by Marca has stressed that not only does the player not have a Saudi deal to firm up his negotiating with Real Madrid, finalisation of the extension is some way off.
As per the Spanish outlet, there remains some difference between the salary increase requested by the player - which would take his deal from less than £14.3m (€17m) per annum, to a staggering £25.5m (€30m) - and Real Madrid's expectations.
Vinicius' current deal, which he signed in 2022, is similar to fellow high earner Kylian Mbappe, who joined the club last summer in a much-anticipated move.
It is still higher than that of Jude Bellingham, who was reportedly offered much more favourable terms on the heels of his blockbuster debut season in 2023-24.
But in a bid to get the deal over the line, representatives of Vinicius at Roc Nation Brazil are purported to have talked up their discussions with Saudi Pro League sides, which are thought to be proactive.
However, no concrete rival deal is believed to exist at present.
Vinicius will be hopeful of extending him time at the Bernabeu despite his brief dip in form over this term, but as per the Spanish outlet, there are thought to be rumblings of discontent among the club's hierarchy over his behaviour.
Should a Saudi deal materialise, it is thought that there are a few voices who could advocate for the player's move to the Gulf state, just one year on from the campaign which almost secured him the Ballon d'Or.
For his part however, Vinicius has been confident that an agreement will be reached ahead of the club's welcoming of soon-to-be-appointed head coach Xabi Alonso.
'I have a contract until 2027, but I have always said that I want to play here for a long time, to be able to make history and to receive the affection of the fans along with the president, all the players and the coaching staff,' he said in February.
'And God willing, hopefully in the next few days all the negotiations can be resolved and I can stay here for much longer.'