Vinícius Júnior has extended his contract with Real Madrid, the club have confirmed following reporting by David Ornstein of The Athletic. The Brazilian has accepted the Spaniards' latest proposal and signed a new deal until mid-2032.
Vinícius, 26, had been under contract at the Santiago Bernabéu only until mid-2027, so Real Madrid wanted clarity quickly: extend or sell.
Arsenal held a very serious interest in taking the left winger to London, but had to wait. Vinícius was pushing for an annual package of around €30 million. Arsenal were prepared to invest very heavily in any case.
Real Madrid considered €30 million too much, but were willing to increase his salary from €17.5 million a year to €22 million a year. Vinícius will also now receive a bigger percentage of his image rights.
According to The Athletic Vinícius Júnior was certainly open to Arsenal if he had decided definitively not to continue at Real Madrid. He will now stay longer at the club he has played for since 2018.
Since arriving at Real, Vinícius has grown into an influential player, although he is far from loved by all supporters. Last season, for example, fans accused him of a lack of commitment, which regularly brought boos and whistles at the Bernabéu. In other Spanish stadiums, he is very regularly the victim of racism.
Vini has won three league titles and the Champions League twice since arriving in Spain. He scored in both the final against Borussia Dortmund (0-2) and the final against Liverpool (0-1). This summer he played a strong World Cup, although even he could not prevent Norway from coming out on top in the last 16.