\u201cMikel Arteta loves him,\u201d a person with knowledge of the Arsenal manager\u2019s outlook says. \u201cIf he doesn\u2019t renew, we will be there.\u201d<\/p>\n
The financial differences between Madrid and Vinicius Jr remain significant, with the sides scheduled to hold conversations next week to bring the matter to a head. The 26-year-old is due back in training by then. The days ahead will be crucial to determining the outcome.<\/p>\n
Three options remain open: extend with Madrid, wait until next summer to depart as a free agent or join Arsenal now.<\/p>\n
Here, after speaking to multiple sources familiar with the process \u2014 all of whom remain anonymous to protect relationships \u2014 The Athletic explains the state of play on Vinicius Jr.<\/p>\n
When Madrid and Vinicius Jr began discussing a contract renewal, few people would have thought that it would become a saga.<\/p>\n
Having joined the club in 2018 from Flamengo for \u20ac45million (\u00a340m; $53m at the time), Vinicius Jr agreed fresh terms in 2022<\/a>. That extension, until 2027, was carried out smoothly but also gave some indication of what the future might hold.<\/p>\n The club presented him with different financial offers depending on the contract length, with less money if he signed until 2027 instead of 2028 (as his compatriots Eder Militao<\/a> and Rodrygo<\/a> did that same summer) or 2029.<\/p>\n \n Vinicius Junior has a contract with Madrid until summer 2027 (Fran Santiago\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n At the time, Vinicius Jr and his inner circle were confident that his outstanding season \u2013 in which he scored the decisive goal in the Champions League final against Liverpool<\/a> \u2013 was just the beginning of his establishment as an elite player. Based on that, they favoured a shorter renewal so they could renegotiate improved terms sooner.<\/p>\n His salary has risen over time, so with the fulfilment of various bonuses \u2014 such as winning FIFA\u2019s The Best award in 2024 \u2014 Vinicius Jr earns around \u20ac18m net per season.<\/p>\n In January 2025, Madrid general manager Jose Angel Sanchez and chief scout Juni Calafat met with Vinicius Jr<\/a>, two of his agents and his father \u2014 who holds a percentage of his rights \u2014 at Madrid\u2019s Valdebebas training complex to discuss the player\u2019s contract.<\/p>\n They proposed an offer worth around \u20ac20m net per season, which Vinicius Jr\u2019s side rejected. They put forward a counter-offer in the following weeks, but the club rejected it.<\/p>\n In April 2025, Madrid suggested that the renewal was very advanced, with several Spanish media outlets reporting that an agreement was close. However, Vinicius Jr\u2019s entourage categorically denied it.<\/p>\n The Athletic revealed that the Brazilian was asking for a package of close to, but not quite, \u20ac30million<\/a>, comprising a base salary, performance-related bonuses and \u2014 something unprecedented in Madrid\u2019s history \u2014 a renewal bonus.<\/p>\n Would Vini Jr. be worth it for Arsenal?<\/p>\n JJ Bull<\/p>\n Sources say the renewal bonus has been the main point of contention between the parties.<\/p>\n Faced with Madrid\u2019s argument that they cannot exceed the wage cap any further, sources close to Vinicius Jr\u2019s camp say they see a renewal bonus as the only way to increase his earnings. Underlying this is the comparison with team-mate Kylian Mbappe, whose salary is very similar. However, Mbappe earns much more from the signing bonus he received after joining as a free agent from Paris Saint-Germain in 2024.<\/p>\n Madrid have always been opposed to accepting Vinicius Jr\u2019s request, thinking that it would create a dangerous \u2018knock-on effect\u2019 within the squad in future renewals. Vinicius Jr is open to lowering his demands if it helps reach an agreement with Madrid.<\/p>\n But Arsenal have capitalised on this tug-of-war over his contract to put themselves in a strong position for a deal.<\/p>\n Aware of the gap between both sides after a lack of progress between Real Madrid and Vinicius Jr, and of how this has been affecting the player, sources with knowledge of the situation say Arsenal have been making moves behind the scenes for months.<\/p>\n \n Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta in May (Justin Setterfield\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n Madrid\u2019s anticipated signing of Yan Diomande from RB Leipzig<\/a> is seen as good news by sources close to Arsenal, as they believe Vinicius Jr might view it as a move to ensure they are covered if he departs. However, Diomande\u2019s transfer is still unresolved, which could impact a move for Vinicius Jr.<\/p>\n Sporting director Andrea Berta has held talks with the Vinicius Jr camp. Key figures at Arsenal have also conveyed to his representatives that he would be the star of a solid project: a team led by Arteta that won last season\u2019s Premier League and only lost the Champions League final on penalties to PSG.<\/p>\n Arsenal want to strengthen the squad this summer with a midfielder (they are closing in on a deal for Newcastle United\u2019s Bruno Guimaraes<\/a>), a centre-back to cover William Saliba<\/a> over the coming months due to his back injury, and a left-winger \u2013 in addition to the \u20ac40m signing of Christos Tzolis<\/a>.<\/p>\n Madrid proposed a \u20ac20m annual salary to Vinicius Jr, and Arsenal are willing to make an exception to their usual salary structure for a player like Vinicius Jr. A sign-on bonus and image rights could also help from a financial standpoint. When it comes to a transfer fee, Madrid are at risk of losing Vinicius Jr for nothing next summer, when his contract expires, a scenario some at the Spanish club fear. He would also be due a significant loyalty bonus next season. Arsenal hope to take advantage of Vinicius Jr\u2019s contract situation to negotiate a reduced fee.<\/p>\n Arsenal\u2019s owners have approved the anticipated figures for a deal. While the numbers are daunting, Arsenal hope their expenditure would be offset by a significant commercial windfall. Vinicius Jr is a marketing powerhouse, and it is felt his arrival would elevate Arsenal\u2019s brand to new heights. Arsenal think he can be the face of the club and possibly the Premier League \u2014 his arrival would arguably be the biggest-ever transfer into the division.<\/p>\n \n Vinicius Junior playing for Brazil at the World Cup (Angela Weiss\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n But this is primarily a football-driven pursuit. Arsenal know that there are very few players who can genuinely add a new dimension to their title-winning team \u2014 and they count Vinicius Jr among that number.<\/p>\n The club has carried out intensive work on the mission to sign Vinicius Jr, and that continues. Arsenal are well aware this does not guarantee a successful outcome \u2014 a deal of this size and ambition will be difficult to pull off.<\/p>\n But Arsenal being in the conversation as a plausible destination for Vinicius Jr is a notable development. To even be at the table is indicative of how far the club has come. Arsenal recognise that if they can land the player, it would be their most high-profile signing since Mesut Ozil in 2013. Arsenal are operating under the impression that Vinicius Jr would be open to joining.<\/p>\n A sign of Arsenal\u2019s determination would be that they are not actively pushing for Bradley Barcola, whom they have shown interest in<\/a>, with Liverpool instead set to make an opening offer for the France international<\/a>.<\/p>\n People with knowledge of the situation say there are key figures at Madrid who favour selling Vinicius Jr this summer to prevent him from leaving as a free agent in 2027. The final decision will rest with president Florentino Perez, who has always been Vinicius Jr\u2019s biggest supporter, alongside Calafat. Manager Jose Mourinho likes the player and has been in touch with him but will understand any decision taken by the club.<\/p>\n Despite the uncertainty surrounding the situation, sources with knowledge of Arsenal\u2019s position say they remain optimistic about the potential capture if Vinicius Jr does not renew his contract with Madrid.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Vinicius Junior\u2019s future at Real Madrid remains up in the air. A year and a half after the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":722659,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[220,1669,177767,49,2789,50,221,1705,1671,51,47,52,48],"class_list":["post-722658","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-arsenal","tag-champions-league","tag-fifa-mens-world-cup","tag-headlines","tag-la-liga","tag-news","tag-premier-league","tag-real-madrid","tag-soccer","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/722658","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=722658"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/722658\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/722659"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=722658"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=722658"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=722658"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-2277101571-scaled.jpg\")
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