Vinicius Junior has once again reiterated his desire to sign a new contract with Real Madrid.
The Brazilian’s current deal runs until 2027 and has been the source of some concern in recent months, with clubs in Saudi Arabia known to be keen to exploit the uncertainty with a world-record bid for Vinicius.
Reports earlier this year claimed an agreement over an extension between Madrid and Vinicius was close, but a lack of public progress has left many fearing that alleged tension towards Kylian Mbappé’s salary could be causing significant problems behind the scenes.
While Vinicius did not confirm the current status of his negotiations with Madrid, the winger did not shy away from professing his desire to remain at the Santiago Bernabéu.
“I hope I can stay here for many years,” he said after playing a starring role in Madrid’s 3–0 win over Red Bull Salzburg. “I’ve always said it’s the club of my life. I’m very happy with the coach and the entire staff, and I hope I can stay here.
“I have a two-year contract, until 2027. I’ve always said I have to stay here my entire career and make a great history with this team.”
Central to the salary dispute is thought to be Madrid’s signing-on bonus to Mbappé. While Los Blancos did not break their wage structure to sign the Frenchman last year, they did promise significant signing-on bonuses to drastically inflate his earnings.
Reports claim Vinicius is pushing for something similar, believing his emergence as one of the world’s best forwards merits an increase in his wages and bonuses to ensure his earnings remain comparable to Mbappé.
The nature of the relationship between Vinicius and Mbappé has been the subject of significant speculation for months, but new manager Xabi Alonso is confident the pair can continue to produce results together on the pitch.
“They can do it, Vini from the outside, Kylian from the inside... it’s not mutually exclusive, things can work, there’s individual quality, but we need the team to function,” Alonso said of the pair. “All together, not one, one, one... We have to benefit from the team.”
READ THE LATEST REAL MADRID NEWS, TRANSFER RUMORS AND MORE
This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘I've Always Said’—Vinicius Junior Reveals Latest on Real Madrid Contract Talks.
