Vinicius Junior contract talks with Real Madrid revived after Yan Diomande deal

Negotiations between Vinicius Junior and Real Madrid are expected to resume after a prolonged and complicated dispute over the Brazil forward’s contract renewal.

The discussions have been handled by Real Madrid for several months, particularly since the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, when Xabi Alonso was in the dugout. According to Spanish newspaper AS, the latest face-to-face meeting between the club and the player’s representatives took place at Valdebebas after the tournament.

That meeting was intended to bring the two sides closer to an agreement, but talks stopped at the point when a contract appeared close to being signed. The negotiations are now expected to restart.

Vinicius made a significant concession during the meeting by reducing his initial financial demands. His original request was understood to be close to €30m a year, while Real Madrid also increased its opening offer.

Despite a substantial gap at the beginning, the positions of the player and club eventually became almost identical. However, an agreement was not reached during a meeting in July 2025, even though a signature appeared imminent.

Neither side was willing to make what would have been a final, relatively small concession to complete the deal.

Vinicius ultimately asked for a net salary of €20m per season. That figure would represent an increase of only €5m compared with his earnings after his previous renewal in 2022. That contract was not officially announced until more than a year later, on 31 October 2023.

The agreement signed in 2022 was for five seasons, running until 2027. It guaranteed Vinicius a total of €75m net, giving him an average annual salary of €15m under a structure that increases progressively.

He began on approximately €10m per year, with his salary due to rise to about €18m by the end of the contract.

The deal also contains a clause awarding him an additional €2m per season after he won The Best award. He would have received the same amount had he won the Ballon d’Or.

Bonus and image rights part of negotiations

The current discussions involve considerably more detail than the first round of negotiations. One issue is a possible renewal bonus, similar to the signing bonus Kylian Mbappe received when he joined Real Madrid.

Vinicius could seek such a payment, particularly because his current contract is moving closer to its expiry date. Image rights are another important part of the talks.

Mbappe is understood to control almost 100% of his image rights, a factor considered essential to the structure of his remuneration. Without that arrangement, it would be extremely difficult to pay his salary, according to the report.

Vinicius remains contracted to Real Madrid until 2027. Under FIFA regulations, from January he will be permitted to negotiate openly with any club other than Real Madrid.

AS reports that an initial agreement over Vinicius’ future had already been reached before Real Madrid agreed a deal for Yan Diomande. The player is represented by Frederico Pena, who is also the representative of Vinicius.

The latest information from the Brazilian forward’s camp indicates that he intends to remain at Real Madrid after renewing his contract.

AS reported several months ago that Vinicius wanted to stay at the club even if an extension could not be agreed. In that scenario, he would leave Real Madrid as a free agent next summer.