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Real Madrid have identified Erling Haaland as a possible replacement for Vinicius Jr. if the Brazilian player decides to leave the side and move to Saudi Arabia. Vinicius has been on target of Saudi clubs for more than two years now amid uncertainty surrounding his contract situation with Real Madrid. The winger has two years left on his current deal with Real Madrid and has yet to agree to a new contract.
Marca reported last month that Vini's situation at Real Madrid has changed since Xabi Alonso took over the reins. Lately, the 25-year-old has not performed wellm leading Alonso to bench him in a few matches this season, implying that he may not be guaranteed to start every match.
Besides, reports came out in June that contract negotiations between Los Blancos and Vini stalled because the player demanded to be the team's highest earner. Given these situations, these are problems that he might be forced to find new opportunities, with Saudi Arabia emerging as his most likely destination.
As per Caught offside, Real Madrid have started making arrangements for the possible departure of Vinicius and have targeted Haaland as his replacement. It is believed that Los Blancos could cash in as much as €250 million from Vinicius' sale to a Saudi club. This would give them the financial capacity to go out for Haaland, who recently signed a nine-and-a-half year deal with Manchester City.
Madrid have had the Norwegian striker on their radar since his days at Borussia Dortmund. It remains to be seen how the situation will fold in the coming months.
Vinicius Jr. names favorite manager of his career
Vinicius Jr. picks former Real Madrid and current Brazil national team coach Carlo Ancelotti as the 'best coach' he has had. Ancelotti's return to Real Madrid in 2021 marked the start of their working relationship, with the winger playing his best game under the Italian manager.
Their working relationship at Madrid ended last season after Ancelotti stepped down from his position. The duo reunited after the 66-year-old took up the position as Brazilian manager. Vini scored during Brazil's 5-0 win against Korea in a friendly game. After the match, Vini appreciated his former Madrid boss. He told reporters:
"This gives us all confidence. All the forwards scored goals and provided assists, which gives us confidence for the World Cup. We have friendlies, so we have to prepare as soon as possible. There's very little time left. We have a new coach and we've been winning games with him. We have to keep this up.
"He's always been the best coach I've ever had. He was the coach who gave me the most confidence, the one I played the best with. He came here with the national team, and I've already played three matches. The progress I've made with him and the team is evident. We want to continue like this to have an excellent World Cup."
During his nearly four years of playing under Ancelotti at Real Madrid, Vinicius amassed 98 goals and assisted 68 in 198 outings across competitions.
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