Arsenal told just £6m will decide Vinicius Jr’s future as ‘transfer meeting set’ | Football | Sport
Arsenal could be about to receive a significant boost in their pursuit of Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior, who is stalling over a new deal at the Bernabeu. He has reportedly emerged as a top target for the reigning Premier League champions, who have been widely tipped to sign a new left-sided attacker to replace Gabriel Martinelli in their starting line-up.
Vincius is only tied down to Real Madrid until the summer of 2027, at which point he will become a free agent unless he extends his contract. Negotiations have been taking place behind the scenes over the last few weeks, but a breakthrough is yet to be reached. It leaves Real Madrid facing a dilemma over whether to sell Vinicius this summer or risk losing him for nothing in a year’s time.
Patience appears to be growing thin, with the Spanish giants having informed Vinicius that he will be sold unless he accepts their latest offer.
The sticking point relates to wage demands, according to ESPN. It’s claimed that Real Madrid have offered him an annual salary of around £19million, but he is asking for closer to £25m per year.
As a result, the gap stands at just £6m, which is essentially a drop in the ocean as far as the salaries of elite footballers are concerned.
Arsenal will be hoping for Real Madrid to stand firm with their latest offer, rather than relenting and giving Vinicius the salary he wants.
If the dispute goes unresolved, it would seemingly play into the hands of the north Londoners, who are reportedly ready to pounce.
The report adds that a meeting has been scheduled between Real Madrid chiefs and Vinicius on Wednesday to discuss how to proceed.
It’s claimed that Vinicius, who is currently earning around £14.5m per year, believes this will be the defining contract of his career.
Meanwhile, his representatives want Real Madrid to recognise what he has done for the club since joining in 2018, including scoring in two Champions League finals.
It remains to be seen how the situation will develop over the coming days, but as things stand, something will have to give for Vinicius to commit his future to his current employers.
