Real Madrid News
Real Madrid forward postpones renewal decision after World Cup as impasse continues
It seems like ages since Real Madrid have been locked in negotiations with Vinicius Jr. over a fresh contract.
The Brazilian international’s deal at Santiago Bernabeu expires in 2027, meaning he will enter the last 12 months of his contract from the start of next season.
This has led to question marks over his long-term future at Real Madrid, although the player is reportedly struggling to attract offers from Europe.
The heart of the problem has been Vinicius’ wage demands, with Real Madrid unwilling to put him on the same pay scale as the team’s star attacker, Kylian Mbappe.
Renewal decision postponed
Spanish journalist Jorge Picon has offered a fresh update on the contract talks between Vinicius Jr. and Real Madrid.
It appears talks between the Brazilian has delayed his decision further, until the end of the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup.
This comes on the back of his agent demanding a significant pay increase and an unusual signing bonus, in order to extend his contract at the club.
Real Madrid, though, are not ready to agree to his demands yet, and the impasse could drag on until the end of the World Cup.
There is a possibility the Brazilian could be looking to use the World Cup as leverage, knowing a potential outperformance in the competition may skyrocket his value.
But as things stand, Vinicius’ future at Real Madrid is far from certain as the club gear up for a major revamp of the first-team in the coming summer.
While Real Madrid would ideally like the Brazilian to continue, his hefty demands has created a lot of uncertainty that could easily culminate into a departure, if the club maintain their hard stance.
Jose Mourinho is looking for solutions to Real Madrid’s problems, and the extended international break has given him time to analyse the team in depth.
Now, according to Defensa Central, one of the conclusions from his assessment concerns Jude Bellingham, Federico Valverde, Bernardo Silva and Arda Guler, the players Mourinho believes should be central to the team’s football.
Although they operate in different positions, the manager wants all four to take a step forward on the pitch.
He wants them to push their lines higher and move closer to the opposition penalty area, believing this would help Real Madrid both defensively and offensively.
Mourinho wants to pin opponents inside their own box
Mourinho wants Real Madrid’s play to go through Bellingham, Valverde, Bernardo and Guler, but he has also asked them to start creating attacks much closer to the opposition area and to link up more closely with the forwards.
The idea is to make the team more compact in possession and force opponents deeper into their own half.
If Real Madrid’s midfield can build play much higher up the pitch, opponents will have to retreat. That would allow Mourinho’s side to improve their pressing, make it more effective and increase the volume of attacks.
As a result, Real Madrid should create considerably more opportunities to score.
A compact Real Madrid for 90 minutes
Mourinho wants his team to stay together and remain compact throughout the full 90 minutes, rather than doing so only in short periods.
Defensively, this would reduce the spaces available for opponents to build their attacks and could force them to play more directly, looking to exploit the space behind the defensive line.
That is an area where the pace and defensive ability of Marc Cucurella and Denzel Dumfries, alongside Aurelien Tchouameni, can provide protection.
The same compactness could also benefit Real Madrid in attack by keeping opponents pinned back. Mourinho wants to use the quality of his players to create a greater number of dangerous situations.
Mourinho’s idea is that Real Madrid’s most talented players must push the team forward and help them put opponents under pressure much closer to the box.
Hala_Madrid
April 17, 2026 at 6:49 pm
Just sell Vinicius already. He’s not as good as he thinks he is. He’s reached his plateau the year he was in the running for the Ballon d’Or. Way overrated and Madrid is smart, they should cash in quick before his value plummets. Can’t believe he’s wearing #10 for Brazil. I wonder how Pele would feel.