Vinícius Júnior is described as “annoyed” over the lack of progress in Real Madrid contract talks, although the club is said to have denied an alleged meeting with his agent took place earlier this week.
Viní Jr. recently entered the final two years of his current contract and, after longstanding links with the Saudi Pro League once again failed to come anything over the summer, his desire is thought to be securing a long-term stay at the Santiago Bernabéu.
AS writes that the player has repeatedly made clear to Los Blancos that he wants to continue and sign fresh terms. But things remain stalled since a meeting that followed the FIFA Club World Cup. Viní Jr. is claimed to have dropped his financial demands, but there is still a “15%” gap between him and the club, considered strange given how marginal that separation is.
Another source of frustration for the Brazilian is the inconsistent and limited game time he’s had under Xabi Alonso this season. Viní Jr. is claimed to feel he has adhered to the manager’s will for more defensive responsibility at the detriment of his attacking impact. After not starting against Marseille and Real Oviedo, he is yet to play more than 78 minutes in a game and is said to feel “relegated” for no reason—a decision from the coaching staff rather than an overall strategy relating to his contract.
However, AS’s claim that Viní Jr.’s agent, Frederico Pena, was at Valdebebas on Monday for a two-hour meeting about the contract has been refuted by the club, in a report from Mundo Deportivo.
The initial claim was that Pena brought forward a planned visit to Madrid by a month to specifically engage the club in negotiations. But the MD report counters that the agent is a regular visitor to Valdebebas anyway, every two or three weeks, because of other players he also represents. Los Blancos don’t even consider the contract to be on the agenda because time is still well on their side.
Alonso denied ahead of this week’s Levante match that Viní Jr., who appeared to express anger towards the coach against Espanyol, is anything but happy.
“After the [Espanyol] game, I spoke with the players, and they were all happy,” he explained.
“They felt good and were eager to continue improving. We need to be a team player and have a collective spirit to face the challenges we face. Everyone understands the role we want for the team, and everyone is contributing.
Alonso is also satisfied with Viní Jr.’s contributions: “I’m happy with what he’s doing. We’re just starting the season. He has to continue being important; there’s still a lot left.”
READ THE LATEST REAL MADRID NEWS, TRANSFER RUMORS AND MORE
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Vinicius Junior ‘Annoyed’ With Real Madrid, Reports Conflict Over Agent ‘Meeting’.