- Saudi Arabia wanted to make Vinicius Jr. “the face of their division”
- A second Real Madrid player is reportedly in the PIF’s sights
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Saudi Arabia are reportedly eyeing a second Real Madrid star, after previous interest in signing Vinicius Jr.
Vinicius has reportedly turned down the chance to make a lucrative move to the Saudi Pro League, after his representatives were contacted by the Public Investment Fund branch, which works on behalf of the country’s Ministry of Sports.
The PIF was said to be looking to persuade the 24-year-old to become the face of the league ahead of the 2034 World Cup in the country, while other reports suggested his salary would be worth 13 times more than his wages at Real Madrid.
It has now been reported that Saudi Arabia have made contact with a club and country teammate of Vinicius.
Ge.Globe The PIF reportedly contacted Eder Militao’s agents earlier this week to see if there was any interest in moving to Saudi Arabia.
Eder Militao is the latest player to be linked to the Saudi Pro League
Militao (second from left) played the entire match that Real Madrid won in the UEFA Super Cup this week
His Real Madrid teammate Vinicius Jr. has reportedly rejected a move to the Saudi Pro League
Discussions are said to be still at an early stage, although reaching an agreement “is far from straightforward.”
Militao is said to be emotionally attached to Real Madrid, which would make it difficult to persuade the 26-year-old to leave the Santiago Bernabeu.
Despite his success in LaLiga and the Champions League last season, Militao had a frustrating 2023-24 campaign.
He suffered a torn cruciate ligament in the first league match of the season against Athletic Bilbao and did not return until the return match against the same opponents on 31 March.
Militao is hoping to play a more active role this season and played the entire game in their 2-0 UEFA Super Cup win over Atalanta on Wednesday.
Saudi Arabia’s potential pursuit of Militao is hampered by Real Madrid’s lack of defensive options and the fact the defender has a £427m release clause.
That release clause is still nothing compared to Vinicius’s, which has a £1bn release clause.
It has been a relatively quiet summer for the Saudi Pro League so far, having been able to attract the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema to the Middle East over the past two years, with their biggest signing being the £50m move that saw Moussa Diaby swap Aston Villa for Al Ittihad.
Real Madrid legends Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo are among the big names to have moved to Saudi Arabia in recent years.
Other big names have been linked with potential moves, including Manchester City duo Kevin De Bruyne and Ederson.
Militao joined Real Madrid from Porto in June 2019 and has made 156 appearances for Los Blancos.
He extended his contract with Real Madrid until June 2028, in a deal announced in January.
