Real Madrid striker Vinicius Junior is the latest superstar to come into focus for the Saudi Arabian state project in football, and they have made him an offer worth his while.
Over the weekend it emerged that Vinicius had rejected an offer from Saudi Arabia, but ESPN say that Vinicius is yet to dismiss the idea. The Saudi Public Investment Fund have not formally made a proposal to his agent, but have discussed an annual salary of up to €350m, which would make him a billionaire in just three seasons.
The Saudi idea is to make him the face of football in the country, as they build towards the 2034 World Cup. Real Madrid have issued a hands off, saying that they would only allow him to leave for his €1b release clause. In order for a deal to go through, they would have to cede ground on that figure though.
The Brazilian still has three years on his contract, so Los Blancos are very much still in control of the situation. It would be a major surprise if Vinicius did end up leaving for Saudi Arabia, but the amounts of money being discussed would be mind-melting for anybody on the other end of it.
