With Brazil out of the World Cup, attention has swung straight back to Vinícius Júnior’s future at the Bernabéu. His contract runs out at the end of next season, which means Real Madrid are staring down the real possibility of losing him for nothing in twelve months — and in just six months, he’ll be free to open pre-contract talks with other clubs entirely.
Madrid ready to cash in if renewal talks stall
According to El Debate, Real Madrid are prepared to sell Vinícius this summer if a new deal can’t be agreed. José Mourinho reportedly wants the situation settled quickly — he’s not a manager who likes leaving squad questions open-ended, and he wants a firm answer on whether Vinícius sees his long-term future in Madrid. If the winger won’t commit, the club would rather bank a significant transfer fee now than gamble on losing him as a free agent next summer.
That urgency lines up with Mourinho’s broader squad-building priorities. He’s assembling a project around Kylian Mbappé, with Michael Olise, Rodri, and Alessandro Bastoni among the names being floated as further reinforcements.
Where talks actually stand
Money remains the sticking point. Real Madrid’s current offer is reportedly €6-10 million short of what Vinícius is asking for, with the club said to have proposed around €20 million net per season against considerably higher demands from his camp — some reports have put his ask as high as a club-record €30 million a year, more in line with what Mbappé earns.
Real Madrid’s reluctance isn’t only about this one contract. The club is wary of breaking its internal wage structure, concerned that bending the rules for Vinícius would complicate several other renewals still to come for players tied down through 2029.
There are signs of recent movement, though. Mourinho is said to have personally called Vinícius to tell him he’d be a central figure in the new project, and relations between the two sides have reportedly warmed since — even if the financial gap hasn’t closed. Pérez, who has spoken publicly about wanting Vinícius at the club “forever,” is leading talks personally given his close relationship with the player. A meeting between the club and Vinícius’s camp has been set for later this month to try to push things toward a resolution.
Not every signal has been reassuring: Vinícius recently scrubbed Real Madrid references from his Instagram profile, which hasn’t gone unnoticed by fans already anxious about the stalemate.
RMxtra Verdict
Neither side wants this to become a repeat of the ugly, half-committed situations Real Madrid dealt with under Xabi Alonso. Mourinho clearly wants this resolved before the season starts, and the fact that talks have warmed up in recent weeks is a good sign — but until the salary gap actually closes, a sale this summer remains firmly on the table.
