Real Madrid ‘Set Vinicius Jr Asking Price’ in Strong Response to Arsenal

The Brazilian has just a year left on his contract in Madrid.

Vinícius Jr and Real Madrid have been in a contract stalemate for some time. | Gokhan Taner/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images

Real Madrid will demand a club-record fee to part ways with in-demand winger Vinícius Jr as part of an ongoing plan to keep the Brazilian away from Premier League champions Arsenal, a report has revealed.

On Saturday, it was reported that the Gunners were exploring a deal for the Brazilian winger, who now has less than a year left to run on his contract at the Bernabéu.

No club-to-club talks have taken place over a transfer, though it has been suggested that Arsenal have reached out to Vinícius’s representatives as a first step amid the star’s contractual impasse at Madrid.

With the clock ticking, this summer represents the final chance for Real Madrid to secure a substantial transfer fee for Vinícius, if a renewal cannot be agreed. The 15-time European champions are understood to be against losing such an important asset on a free transfer this summer, meaning the situation is: renew or sell.

If they are to sell, then SPORT state Madrid will not even entertain negotiations for anything less than $182 million (€160 million), which would shatter the club’s record sale—the €117 million sale of Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus in 2018.

Publicly, Vinícius has always maintained his desire to stay at the Bernabéu, while president Florentino Pérez has said he wants the winger to remain at the club for “the rest of his life”. Yet, actually signing a deal has proved tricky.

---

Madrid Ready to Continue Negotiating

Vinícius Jr wants to meet with Mourinho. | Maria Jimenez - Real Madrid/Real Madrid

Whether linked to the Arsenal interest or just a coincidence, AS reports that Madrid are ready to resume contract talks next week, after the player’s return from his post-World Cup vacation.

Before sitting down at the negotiating table again, Vinícius is said to want to meet with new manager José Mourinho in order to get a feel for the new project and his place within it.

Los Blancos have, infamously, gone two seasons without a trophy—a lifetime in Madrid years—and Mourinho’s arrival represents a change of direction from Pérez, who is desperate to right the ship after disappointment on the field and chaos off it in recent times.

Interestingly, AS’s report claims that renewal talks with Vinícius were already “well advanced” before stalling abruptly after last summer’s Club World Cup. The gap between the player’s salary expectations and those of the club is said to be “minimal” now—yet, apparently still enough to hold up an announcement and leave room for optimism from suitors like Arsenal.

Elsewhere, Madrid’s €100 million ($115 million) transfer pursuit of RB Leipzig wonderkid winger Yan Diomande is thought to be separate and not an obstacle to Vinícius staying.

---

How Much Money Is Vinícius Jr Asking for?

Vinícius Jr would be Arsenal’s top earner by a long way. | Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto/Getty Images

AS claims that Vinícius is now asking for a salary of around €20 million ($23 million) net per season, which would represent a substantial come down considering reports earlier this year suggested he had been holding out for a package of €30 million ($34 million).

Those figures would have been comparable with Real Madrid’s top earner, Kylian Mbappé, while Vinícius’s camp had supposedly also requested a “renewal bonus”—something totally unprecedented in Madrid’s history but seemingly comparable to signing bonuses handed to Mbappé and David Alaba for joining on free transfers.

The Brazilian’s current deal, which was last renewed in 2022, saw his salary bumped to around €15 million ($17 million) net, increasing each season, plus bonuses—such as for winning The Best FIFA Men's Player award, as he did in 2024.

While Vinícius’s contract negotiations with Madrid have become protracted, it’s hard to believe they would be any easier with Arsenal. Should the Gunners wish to make a serious move for the Brazilian this summer, they would be required to make him their highest-paid player by some distance—as well as paying a substantial club-to-club transfer fee. For context, the Premier League champions’s top earner is currently Bukayo Saka on around $20 million a year.

Though Liverpool has been touted as another possible destination for Vinícius, serious interest from the Saudi Pro League seems to have diminished in recent months and other realistic landing spots for the Brazilian No.7 appear to be few and very far between.

Ultimately, Vinícius wants to stay and Real Madrid don’t want to lose a superstar in his prime for free. Arsenal’s transfer interest becoming public may have done Vinícius the favor of helping to push forward renewal talks, with a new contract the outcome to the saga that suits all parties.

---