Real Madrid and Vinicius Junior have reportedly hit a roadblock in their negotiations about the Brazilian star's new contract at Santiago Bernabeu.
Vinicius joined Los Blancos from Flamengo in 2018, and his current contract with the club is set to expire in the summer of 2027. Reports suggested that the 25-year-old is not ready to accept the overall pay that Real Madrid are willing to offer him.
Vinicius is currently earning around €17m per annum, which is the second-highest salary in the Los Blancos squad after Kylian Mbappe. Real Madrid were reportedly ready to offer a deal worth €20m per year, which would mean a raise of around 15% for the winger.
However, the fee falls short of Vinicius' ask, which is the same salary, but with the inclusion of an extra €10m in bonuses per year that could increase his overall earnings to a maximum of €30m per year, as per ESPN.
Amid this situation, Vinicius was benched in Real Madrid’s last La Liga match, which was against Real Oviedo and ended in a 3-0 win for Los Blancos. The Flamengo graduate was subbed on in the 63rd minute and made two goal contributions.
After the match, Real Madrid head coach Alonso explained his decision to bench Vinicius to be tactical, while mentioning that players have to 'demand respect.'
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Now, Real Madrid legend Pedja Mijatovic has shared his take on Vinicius’ future at the Spanish giants, mentioning the player's 'behaviour doesn't fit in' with the club.
What did the former Real Madrid star say about Vinicius Junior?
While speaking to El Larguero, Mijatovic praised Vinicius as an ‘excellent player,’ but then expressed his concerns about the star’s demeanour, and said,
"The Vini-Rodrygo competition can be good, but it can also cause problems for the coach. For now, Rodrygo is there and it's a good strategy for Xabi to keep everyone happy and alive," as per GOAL.
"Some things don't change. It's not worth it. For me, this behaviour doesn't fit in with the Real Madrid shirt. He needs to motivate himself by fighting with everyone. He's an excellent player, but we have to evaluate whether it's worth it for him to be here."
It remains to be seen if Vinicius makes it back to Real Madrid’s starting squad in their next La Liga match against Mallorca on August 30 at Santiago Bernabeu.
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