Real Madrid Decides Vinicius Jr.’s Superstar Replacement

Real Madrid and its president Florentino Perez have already decided the player they will sign in the event that Vinicius Jr. leaves the club in the near future according to Cadena SER, which cited anonymous sources.

Though his renewal at the Bernabeu was once believed to be a done deal, COPE reported that Vinicius has thrown a spanner in the works by demanding identical pay to match that of his teammate Kylian Mbappe.

With Real Madrid previously confident that Vinicius would agree to lower pay to extend terms that expire in mid-2027, talks have been thrown off kilter by Vinicius demanding in excess of €25 million per season.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia is once more lurking in the background and is reportedly prepared to obliterate the world transfer record set in 2017 when Paris Saint-Germain triggered Neymar’s €222 million release clause at FC Barcelona.

With its Public Investment Fund (PIF) in control of a string of top Saudi Pro League clubs, the host of the 2034 World Cup is willing to table €350 million to bring Vinicius to the Middle East and have him play in the same championship as his idol Cristiano Ronaldo.

According to Mundo Deportivo, Perez is aware of this interest though no concrete proposal has been made to sign the Ballon d’Or runner up.

In the event that this potential landmark event comes to pass, however, the President has already lined up his desired replacement for the Brazilian.

That is none other than Manchester City’s Erling Haaland, who Perez “dreams” of matching up with his fellow next generation superstar Mbappe.

Madrid was of course in the hunt for Haaland before he decided to join City while still a Dortmund player in 2022.

The Mancunians triggered the Norwegian’s £51 million release clause in the Bundesliga, and also agreed to meet his high salary demands and others that revolved around commissions and bonuses.

Three years on, it’s possible that the striker finally becomes a Los Blancos star as a central number 9.

Kylian Mbappe would finally play in his preferred position for Real Madrid

Now inheriting the number 10 shirt from Real Madrid legend Luka Modric, Mbappe would finally play in his preferred left wing spot were Vinicius to leave. If Haaland indirectly replaced him, he’d be the central number 9 while someone like Arda Guler completes an attacking trident.