Real Madrid have offered Vinicius Junior improved contract terms after a new round of negotiations with the Brazil forward.
Representatives of the 26-year-old met Madrid general director Jose Angel Sanchez and chief scout Juni Calafat in the Spanish capital on Wednesday. The discussions ended with the Spanish club presenting a more lucrative proposal than previous offers after 18 months of negotiations.
Vinicius is entering the final year of his current contract and must now decide whether to extend his stay, leave as a free agent next summer or consider Arsenal’s interest.
The Brazilian will most likely sign the new contract now and stay, given that it is now the best option for him both financially and career wise.
The main obstacle during negotiations up to now was the financial package. Vinicius was seeking a deal worth about €30m per season, including salary, performance-related add-ons and a renewal bonus.
Vinicius wanted a renewal bonus that would at least bring him much closer to what Kylian Mbappe is currently earning. The two earn around the same in basic wages but the signing bonus Mbappe receives after joining from Paris Saint-Germain as a free agent means he earns substantially more.
Madrid had been unwilling to meet the figures Vinicius’ representatives were asking.
7️⃣ ¡@ViniJr está de vuelta! pic.twitter.com/Tr3F3YRQpf
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) August 4, 2026
Without signing a new contract, it would have been much more financially rewarding for Vinicius to stay at Madrid for one more season at least, collect a loyalty bonus that is due next year, and then sign for another club as a free agent when his contract ran out, which would give him the advantage in negotiating higher wages and a signing bonus.
Madrid could obviously not countenance losing him on a free so they have conceded to much of his terms. With that happening, it is unlikely that Vinicius still decides to reject it and leave Madrid.
While earning the wages he believes he deserves, he can also enjoy the bigger profile of life that being a Madrid player can offer. It is one of the biggest clubs in the world, much bigger than Arsenal, and it is in a warm, sunny city that most football players would prefer to gloomy London.
What has Vinicius said so far?
The Brazil international returned to preseason training earlier this week after scoring four goals in five appearances at this summer’s World Cup under Carlo Ancelotti.
Speaking after his first session back, he welcomed the arrival of Jose Mourinho as head coach.
“[I’m] very well, getting to know the new manager, the new players, and working really hard in training,” he said. “[Mourinho] wants me to be just as I’ve always been: happy, positive, and playing my own style of football.”
