Saudi Arabia prepares record £200m transfer bid to prise Vinicius Junior from Real Madrid

 Vinicius Junior will be given the opportunity to become the world’s most expensive player this summer, with the Real Madrid forward to make the final decision on a £200 million move to Saudi Arabia.

The Brazil international, 24, is a concrete target for the Saudi Pro League with early talks taking place over a move during the next window, when his contract at the Santiago Bernabéu will be in its final two years.

He will be offered a chance to move to one of the Public Investment Fund (PIF) clubs in Saudi Arabia, with his team to be decided if a deal can be agreed. According to sources, he will command a fee that matches the £200 million that Paris St-Germain paid Barcelona for Neymar in 2017. The package for a potential deal means it could be the most lucrative in football history.

While Real Madrid do not want to lose Vinicius, who has helped them win three La Liga titles and two Champions Leagues, having less than 24 months left on his deal means his market value will start to decrease from next season onwards if he stays in Spain. The Saudi deal is expected to go through if the player gives the move the green light.

Vinicius has endured horrendous racist abuse during his seven years in Spain since moving from Flamengo in his homeland, with the forward breaking down in tears when talking about his treatment from fans.

“I just want to play football but it’s hard to move forward… I feel less and less like playing. It never crossed my mind [to leave Spain] because if I leave Spain I give the racists exactly what they want,” he said last year.

While the Saudi destination for Vinicius is yet to be decided, Al-Hilal would make sense as a potential club. King Saud bin Abdulaziz renamed the club in 1958 and they are the most decorated team in the SPL. Al-Hilal have also qualified for the Club World Cup in America this summer, where they will face Real in the group stages.

Saudi power will be proved if they land Vinicius and Salah

It has been relatively quiet in the Saudi Pro League transfer market compared to the early days of the competition, but there was a late January move for Jhon Duran and the spending is ready to restart this summer.

Sources in the Middle East had expected SPL spending to ease off after the initial splurge on players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar. And despite failed bids last year for Kylian Mbappe and Mohamed Salah, this was always going to be the calm before the storm in 2025 when big names are available.

As reported by Telegraph Sport last season, SPL teams were keeping a close eye on Kevin De Bruyne and Salah, whose contracts are running down at their clubs. It remains to be seen if they will be available on Bosman free transfers, but there is no doubt that Saudi clubs are back in the market for the big names.

In Saudi, they have the 2034 World Cup to prepare for and getting the biggest names to the SPL is part of the plan. Landing Vinicius Junior would be a huge coup and would only enhance the reputation of the competition.

It would also be a huge blow for Real Madrid to lose a player who has lit up European football since arriving from Brazil. At 24, he is in his prime and his stage should be the Champions League – but the staggering wages on offer in Saudi mean his future is in doubt.

Endrick will be ready to step into his shoes eventually, but the power of the SPL will be felt by all if Vinicius Junior moves this summer.