Vinicius Junior rejected an approach from Paris Saint-Germain that would have quadrupled his wages, instead agreeing terms on a new Real Madrid contract.
Les Parisiens were prepared to stump up a lucrative £34.3million-per-annum contract to tempt Vinicius to the Parc des Princes. This is said to be more than four times greater than the terms the forward has agreed to remain in the Spanish capital.
The details of the deal were reported by Spanish outlet Marca, who also claimed that Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea had held an interest in the Brazilian. However, this never advanced beyond a preliminary stage due to his desire to stay in Spain.
It was PSG who had the strongest interest in the Brazilian – although they were ultimately unsuccessful despite their immense financial power. A transfer would have seen Vinicius link up with superstar attacker Kylian Mbappe, who had been tipped to play with the Brazilian in La Liga.
Mbappe opted to sign a three-year contract extension with the Ligue 1 champions, keeping him in the French capital until 2025. That deal ensured he would not be joining Real Madrid on a free transfer this summer, as many had expected – with suggestions that he had given his word to the Spanish giants that he would be joining them this year.
As part of his astonishing new deal, there were reports that Mbappe would hold great sway in the club’s backroom decisions. This would include giving the striker a say on which players should be signed alongside decisions on managers and sporting directors.
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Earlier this month, new Real Madrid signing Aurelien Tchouameni appeared to confirm that Mbappe is playing a part in PSG's recruitment process. The midfielder claimed at his introductory Real Madrid press conference: "Kylian decided to stay at PSG and he already knew that I was going to leave Monaco and wanted to know if I could go to PSG, but I told him I wanted Madrid and he understood perfectly."
Despite Mbappe's influence, Vinicius is now set to commit his long-term future to Real Madrid, where his current contract was due to expire in the summer of 2024. A fresh Marca report explains how the club wanted him to pen a deal through to 2028, but that it will instead last until either 2026 or 2027.
Vinicius told the Bem, Amigos! show on SportsTV: "I want to continue at the best club in the world." The forward also spoke about having his sights set on the 2022 World Cup, describing the difference in style between his club side and national team. He said: "In the Brazilian team we play higher up, Tite asks us a lot to attack. At Madrid,, I'm a little further back."
The Brazilian netted the winning goal in last month’s Champions League final win over Liverpool, capping a fantastic season for both his club and on a personal level, as he netted 22 goals across all competitions.
