Vinicius Júnior was back at Valdebebas on Monday and completed the training session with his teammates after passing his preseason medical. The football part looks routine. The contract part does not. His current deal runs to 2027, and face-to-face meetings between his representatives and Real Madrid's president Florentino Pérez are expected this week.

The renewal issue is still open

The cleanest read is that both sides still prefer a renewal, but they are not there yet. One report called Vinicius' contract situation one of Real Madrid's biggest unresolved issues, while club leadership have also made clear that if negotiations collapse, Madrid could consider selling him this summer rather than risk losing him for free when his deal expires.

That is the tension around the week ahead. Vinicius is not short of leverage after another strong international tournament, where he scored 4 goals in 5 World Cup appearances and posted a 7.94 rating across those matches. Real Madrid finished second in La Liga in 2025 with 86 points, so this is not a club scrambling from weakness. It is a club deciding how far it wants to go to keep one of its best attackers.

Salary and image rights are the sticking points

The disagreement is financial, but not just about base pay. Vinicius is now seeking around €20 million net per season, about €5 million above his current earnings, and the renewal dispute is heavily tied to image rights. His camp wants a structure closer to Kylian Mbappe's, which is exactly the sort of detail that can slow a deal down even when the football case is obvious.

Madrid would still rather keep him than sell him, and that is probably the right starting point. But the club's willingness to discuss a sale if talks collapse is real, and it keeps pressure on both sides to move before the situation drags on any longer. With the player already back in training and the meetings due this week, this is the stage where a renewal has to become concrete or the summer noise will only grow louder.

Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →