Vinicius Junior has frequently been linked with some of the world’s biggest clubs, reflecting his status as one of the very best players on the planet.
He could be in the right place, at Real Madrid, to become the world’s best player, having finished second in the Ballon d’Or in 2024 after 24 goals and 11 assists in all competitions in 2023/24, helping Los Blancos to win La Liga and the Champions League.
However, there are sides who will feel they can get even more out of Vinicius, and believe he’d ensure they become, or remain, absolute powerhouses.
Here, TEAMtalk has looked into six clubs and their chances of landing the Real Madrid superstar.
PSG
One of the very richest clubs in Europe, PSG are one of the only sides who could tempt Real to sell, while contending with competition from the Saudi Pro League.
It was reported of late that the Ligue 1 giants had lodged a bid of €250million (£208m/$262m) for Vinicius. Having signed Neymar for a similar fee in 2017, they can bid that sort of money and not think twice.
PSG are said to feel Vinicius is the missing piece of their attack, and given iconic forward Kylian Mbappe left them for Real in the summer, a move in the other direction would see Vinicius unburdened by having other huge names around him.
It could allow for his star to shine brightly on its own, escaping the issue at Real that both men’s best position is believed to be the same one.
Liverpool
The situation at Anfield is one of the most interesting, given that if nothing changes, Mohamed Salah will leave in the summer, taking with him more than 300 direct goal contributions.
It is probably fair to say Vinicius has already surpassed him in terms of stature, having finished higher in the Ballon d’Or at 24 years old than Salah ever has. He is, therefore, perhaps the perfect replacement, as there’s a chance he could eclipse the achievements which have made the Egyptian a legend at Anfield.
Danny Murphy urged Liverpool to “break the bank” for the Real Madrid icon, and though he generally plays out left, and Salah occupies the right-wing, Liverpool could comfortably shuffle some players – owing to their versatile attacking corps – to accommodate one of the world’s best.
Manchester United
In an attempt to return to their status as one of the world’s biggest clubs, United have been linked with the signing of one of its best players – Vinicius.
The move has been described by transfer insider Fabrizio Romano as “not even realistic”, though, and given the club’s stature compared to the quality of the player, it seems that’s probably true.
Given it’s said part-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe also wants to cut costs, there seems almost no way the Red Devils would be able to muster up the cash to land the Brazilian superstar.
Chelsea
Chelsea, like United, are in the category of sides that could not realistically land Vinicius, as per Romano.
Their situation is admittedly slightly different, given they have bounced back to being a competitive side in England of late, and their cash-rich owner Todd Boehly is happy to pay ludicrous sums of money, highlighted by his paying £1billion in the first two years he was at the helm.
If they could get around Financial Fair Play – a big task in itself – they could at least try for the transfer.
Al-Hilal
Romano has revealed that Saudi Pro League sides were “prepared to do crazy things” for Vinicius, and a report of late on Al-Hilal’s interest suggested they were willing to lodge an ‘astronomical’ offer of €300million (£252m/$315m) for the Real Madrid superstar.
Though he’s protected by a €1billion release clause, it would surely be difficult for Real to turn down that kind of money, knowing they could likely sign multiple top players for the price of just that one.
Al-Ahli
The main redeeming factor of the Saudi Pro League is the crazy wages players can earn, and that would be the case at Al-Ahli, who reportedly pay Riyad Mahrez €1million per week (£828k/$1.05m).
Vinicius, a winger yet to reach his prime, who finished second in the 2024 Ballon d’Or, would be in line for an astronomical payday there. The club have previously revealed they were keen on him in the summer of 2024, so a move could be picked back up.
Of course, a Saudi Pro League move would hinge on Vinicius being willing to ditch Europe, which, for a lot of players, has seen their prospects drop. For a player hoping to win the Ballon d’Or and create a dynasty, he may feel Europe is the best place for him.
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