Vinicius Jr to Saudi Arabia in record-breaking deal? Will Brazil star follow Real Madrid legends Ronaldo and Benzema?

Vinicius Jr to Saudi Arabia in record-breaking deal? Will Brazil star follow Real Madrid legends Ronaldo and Benzema?

According to the latest reports coming out of the world of football, Saudi Arabia is preparing a world-record bid of 300 million Euros that would see Brazilain star Vincius Jr move from Real Madrid in the 2025 summer transfer window.

If the move materialises, it would eclipse the world-record deal of 222 million Euros that PSG paid for Neymar in 2017.

At 24, Vinicius is already one of the brightest talents in the footballing world, having won a La Liga and a Champions League title for the Los Blancos.

If Vinicius moves to Saudi, he will join the likes of former Real Madrid legends like Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema who are plying their football in the Middle-Eastern country.

Omar Mugharbel, CEO of the Saudi Professional League, told AS of recruitment plans for 2025: “In the summer we hope to see some interesting signings. So we’ll wait and see what happens with that.”

Vinicius, whose contract with Real Madrid is due to run until 2027 on an improved salary, has a €1bn release clause in his current agreement therefore it unlikely that the Brazilian will leave the club.  

This makes a move away from Santiago Bernabeu unlikely for the star Brazilian forward.

Reportedly, Al-Hilal is the frontrunner in terms of signing Vinicius as the club deems the player to be an ideal replacement for Neymar Jr, who mutually terminated his contract with the club and decided to return to his boyhood club Santos.

According to reports, Al-Ahli is ready to splurge €300m (£251m/$313m) on Vinicius in a lucrative contract worth €1 billion (£838m/$1bn) over the next five years.

Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti said he would understand if Vinicius chose the move to Saudi Arabia but placed faith in his player by backing him to chose legacy over money.