On Sunday, the attacking player will return to Madrid from his World Cup holiday, after Brazil were knocked out by Norway (1-2) in the World Cup round of 16 at the start of July. On Monday, he will begin training and start preparations for the new season, with decisive talks planned immediately afterwards, according to the Spanish newspaper AS.
First, Vinicius is expected to sit down with the new coach Jose Mourinho, with whom he has an explosive history stemming from the racism scandal during Real’s Champions League clash with Mourinho’s former club Benfica in February. There is said to be no bad blood between the two any more, however, and Mourinho would be very reluctant to do without Vinicius.
After that meeting with Mourinho, the player is expected to spell out his future plans in final terms to Real’s hierarchy. Real Madrid are reportedly demanding a quick decision from Vinicius, and for him it comes down to two options: extend at Real or move to Arsenal this summer. Los Blancos are keen to avoid losing the Brazilian on a free transfer in 2027 when his current contract expires.
Signing-on bonus apparently the sticking point in the negotiations between Real Madrid and Vinicius Junior
For around a year and a half, the question of whether Vinicius will extend his contract at the Bernabeu has dragged on. The 26-year-old is still fundamentally thought to see his future with Los Blancos, but financial obstacles have emerged in the negotiations. Opinions have repeatedly differed on just how serious those are. According to a recent report by The Athletic, there remain clear differences between the club’s and the player’s expectations.
Getty Images
The renowned online outlet breaks down the developments in the talks over a contract extension in detail. Since spring 2025, Vinicius’ camp are said to have been insisting on a total package that would bring him just under €30 million per year. That is also said to include a signing-on bonus, according to The Athletic, the crucial sticking point.
Real, for their part, are seemingly unwilling to agree to that under any circumstances, while Vinicius is said to see it as the only way to earn more overall than superstar team-mate Kylian Mbappe. He, after all, was promised just such a, and very generous, signing-on bonus when he joined the Spanish capital on a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain in 2024.
Real Madrid do not want to improve their contract offer to Vinicius Junior
Although it is sometimes said that Vinicius is prepared to lower his demands in order to stay in Madrid, that has evidently not happened so far. Whether he now relents remains to be seen. Real’s position, it is consistently said, is clear: there will be no improved offer. Vinicius must therefore accept the contract offer currently on the table or will probably be sold.
That is where Arsenal come in. The Gunners are said to have used Vinicius’ unclear situation for months, according to The Athletic , to map out the framework for a possible mega transfer behind the scenes. English media then recently reported in unison that Arsenal are planning a record offer for Vinicius and want to make the dribbler the highest-paid player in the club’s history.
Will Arsenal land Vinicius? “Mikel Arteta loves him”
“Mikel Arteta loves him,” The Athletic quote a source close to the coach of the English champions as saying, stressing: “If Vinicius does not extend, we will be there.” Arsenal are said to be aware that there are only a few players in the world who could give the recently so successful team a new dimension. That is why they are ready in London to break up the traditional wage structure for Vinicius. The English club are in any case optimistic that they can get the deal over the line, it is said. Especially as Vinicius, with only one year left on his contract, could possibly be available for slightly below market value.
Getty Images
The Athletic, meanwhile, interpret Arsenal’s restraint in the poker over PSG winger Bradley Barcola, with whom the Gunners had previously been regularly linked, as an indication that they may have an even bigger ace up their sleeve with Vinicius. The Brazil international would be the absolute No 1 option for reinforcement on the left wing, a position Arsenal would still like to strengthen this summer in addition to Christos Tzolis (who arrived from Club Brugge for €40 million as a replacement for Leandro Trossard, who moved to Besiktas).
Real, meanwhile, already appear to have a potential replacement for Vinicius lined up in Yan Diomande. The Spanish runners-up are said to have already reached an agreement with the RB Leipzig wide player, although talks with the Bundesliga club are proving complicated. Real would reportedly have to put at least €120 million on the table to get Diomande. The 19-year-old Ivorian, meanwhile, did not travel to the training camp in Austria, with RB citing illness. According to a report by Sky, however, Diomande has already mentally said goodbye to Leipzig and is determined to move to Real in any case.