The negotiation is expected to take place in January 2025, but many things have happened in the past year. The most obvious instability is that the team is preparing to replace Alvaro Arbeloa, not long after parting ways with Xabi Alonso and before that Carlo Ancelotti.
With the current situation, Real Madrid is almost certain to fall into poverty for 2 consecutive seasons. They were eliminated from the Champions League by Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals. The La Liga race is also very disadvantaged against Barcelona when the gap is already 9 points and the number of matches is only 6, including El Clasico on the 10th. 5.
A major change will certainly take place at the Bernabeu this summer and in all the things that need to be changed, Vinicius's future will be put on the scales. In the 2-1 victory over Alaves recently, the Brazilian star was still booed by a group of fans. It is worth mentioning that this is not the first time in the season that Vinicius has been opposed like this. After scoring his 2nd goal for Real Madrid from a beautiful long-range shot, he raised his hand to the stands to apologize.
Vinicius currently receives a salary of about 17 million Euros/season, this number is equal to Kylian Mbappe. Last year, Real Madrid's offer was about 20 million Euros/season, but the Brazilian striker's side refused and wanted the figure of 30 million Euros. This number will include basic salary, performance bonuses and contract extension bonuses. The final clause is unprecedented at Real Madrid under President Florentino Perez.
The representatives of Vinicius Jr consider the option of contract extension bonuses as a solution to ensure higher income at a team with a very rigid salary like Real Madrid. This method is similar to the contract bonuses Kylian Mbappe and David Alaba received when joining the club on a free transfer.
Vinicius will find it difficult to leave Real Madrid in the summer of 2026, but if both sides do not extend the contract early, just until January 1, 2027, the 25-year-old striker will be free to negotiate with all other parties. Personally, Vinicius seems to want to stay because if he leaves on a free transfer, he and his agents will also find it difficult to receive signing bonuses or other benefits.
To date, Real Madrid has not had an official response to Vinicius's demand for 30 million Euros. The club also wants to extend the contract but does not accept such an unreasonable number. Los Blancos are quite confident in successfully keeping this wild horse because the owner Perez's relationship with Vinicius is quite good. The "Godfather" himself has shown support for Vinicius, after his controversial reaction when he was substituted by Xabi Alonso in the 72nd minute of the El Clasico match on October 26, 2025, when Real Madrid was leading 1-2.
Not long after that, Alonso was sacked while Vinicius still appeared in the main squad, enough to see that he had a non-social relationship with the owner of the Bernabeu stadium.
Another issue that also needs to be concerned about is finance in this deal. Real Madrid's leadership has shown a commitment to comply with the club's salary structure, even if this is dangerous or hinders contract extension agreements as well as new signings. The clear goal is not to create any exceptions to prevent the spreading effect from getting out of control. However, Real Madrid has shown willingness to concede in some previous cases.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Sergio Ramos are examples of stars who have gone through tense contract negotiations with Real Madrid. CR7 extended his contract with terms very close to his desired conditions in 2013, about 1 year after telling the press that he did not celebrate the goal because he was sad.
Ramos also did the same in 2015 after becoming a hero in the 2014 Champions League championship journey. At that time, Man United was closely following Ramos and ready to open the Old Trafford stadium to welcome him if he left Bernabeu.
Although they had compromised with Ronaldo and Ramos, Real Madrid only did it once, without exception again in the final stage of these two stars. In 2018, Real Madrid did not accept Ronaldo's request for contract extension and he moved to Juventus. In 2021, Real Madrid decided to withdraw the contract extension offer with Ramos because the defender wanted a longer-term contract, despite the club's unwritten rule that players over 30 years old must extend their contracts year by year.
As for Vinicius, he is going through a season with poor form. If he continues to demand in this style, perhaps after the 2026 World Cup will be the time to say goodbye.
