Vinicius Jr. to Saudi Arabia?! Dealmakers line up huge swoop for Real Madrid ace this summer

In a new report from sports broadcaster Ben Jacobs, Saudi dealmakers are set to test Real’s resolve by launching a huge offer to sign Vinicius at the end of the 2025-26 season. The report claims Al-Ahli are the main Saudi Pro League club to express an interest in signing the 25-year-old, with Matthias Jaissle’s side believed to willing to offer a contract worth a staggering €1 billion (£870m/$1.2bn).

While Real are apparently keen for Vinicius to sign a new contract extension, with his current terms set to expire in June 2027, talks are believed to have been put on hold when Xabi Alonso was manager.

Vinicius and Alonso endured a difficult relationship at the Bernabeu, before the latter was sacked in the aftermath of the club’s 3-2 defeat against fierce rivals Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final.

The report concludes by claiming Saudi Pro League officials have been in contact with Vinicius’ representatives for over a year, as they look to secure another big-name arrival in the Gulf state. Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante, Fabinho, Riyad Mahrez, Kingsley Coman and Ruben Neves headline the list of star names who currently ply their trade in the Saudi Pro League.

While it remains to be seen where Vinicius long-term future lies, the forward has gone through a difficult period this season. The former Flamengo ace was regularly whistled by the Real fanbase following a poor run of form which saw him fail to score in 22 games for the club, before netting against Barcelona in the Super Cup final.

Vinicius, alongside team-mates Jude Bellingham and Federico Valverde, were also heavily jeered in Real’s La Liga clash against Levante last weekend, with the Bernabeu fanbase taking aim at the trio over their fractious relationships with Alonso - a man who represented the club as a player between 2009 and 2014.

After he was substituted in the 2-1 win over Barcelona in La Liga in October, Vinicius was furious at Spaniard Alonso, with cameras picking him up saying: “Always me! I'm leaving the team! It's better if I leave, I'm leaving.” 

He later apologised to fans for his outburst.

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However, Vinicius bounced back in some style by scoring one and setting up two more in Real’s thumping 6-0 win over Monaco in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Vinicius was joined on the scoresheet by Kylian Mbappe (x2), Bellingham and Franco Mastantuono - while Thilo Kehrer put through his own net - as Real put themselves in a strong position to automatically qualify for the last 16.

Real - who named Alvaro Arbeloa as Alonso’s replacement at the helm - will come up against former manager Jose Mourinho when they travel to Portuguese giants Benfica in their final game of the league phase on Wednesday, 28 January.

Opening up about the adversity he has faced at Real this season, Vinicius told reporters after the Monaco game: “The last few days have been very difficult for me. Because of the whistles, and because of everything that's been said. I'm always in the spotlight, and I don't want to be there for things that happen off the pitch, I want to be there for what I do on the pitch.”

Meanwhile, new Real boss Arbeloa was full of praise for Vinicius’ man-of-the-match performance against the Ligue 1 side, adding: “When the Bernabeu is with him, he's unstoppable. If we want to fight for trophies, we need him. Vini needs to feel loved. He's very emotional. He needs to feel that affection.”

Before Real’s reunion with Mourinho next week, they travel to Villarreal in La Liga on Saturday evening. Arbeloa’s men are currently second in the table and just a point behind Hansi Flick’s Barcelona, who entertain Real Oviedo the following day.