Real Madrid’s Brazilian football superstar Vinicius Jr is considering a €1bn ($1.1bn) move to the Saudi Pro League, according to a Reuters report.
Citing unnamed sources, Reuters said the Public Investment Fund (PIF) has approached the 24-year-old forward to sound out interest in a move to the Kingdom.
The report claims that the Real Madrid man, hotly tipped to win the Ballon D’or and be crowned the world’s best player in 2024, will be offered a salary of around €200m ($220m) a year until 2029.
Vinicius Jr to Saudi Arabia?It is also claimed Vinicius Jr would be offered a 10-year contract to promote the 2034 World Cup, set to be staged in Saudi Arabia.
No club in Saudi Arabia has been named as a potential destination for the highly rated attacker, but PIF owns a 75 per cent share of Al Ahli, Al Ittihad, Al Hilal and Al Nassr, making them likely destinations.
In addition to an astronomical salary paid to Vinicius Jr, any potential transfer would almost certainly require a record fee to be paid to Real Madrid.
The Spanish La Liga champions want to keep the prize asset to play alongside new recruit Kylian Mbappe and breakout star of the 2023-2024 season, Jude Bellingham.
Vinicius Jr has a release clause of €1bn ($1.1bn) and if Real Madrid refuse to sell potential buyers would need to meet that sum to guarantee his services.
Before the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo 18 months ago, such speculation would have been dismissed, but the ambition and funds backing the Saudi Pro League have become apparent.
Although the most high-profile attempts to sign Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe to lucrative contracts fell through, sporting stars including Karim Benzema, Neymar and Jordan Henderson have changed the landscape of football in Saudi Arabia.
