Now the ball is in Vini's court.
In the few short months of the Xabi Alonso regime, there are many talking points about the team. The defense looks like an impenetrable wall, Kylian Mbappé is playing at the highest level of his career, and the team looks completely different than that of the dying days under Carlo Ancelotti.
One of the biggest talking points, however, has been the star of Real Madrid the last few years, we are of course talking about Vini Jr. The Br azilian has had a somewhat up-and-down first few months under the new manager, putting him in a different situation than he was previously used to.
It's clear when watching Real Madrid so far this season that Vinícius Júnior is now the number two in attack behind Kylian Mbappé. The Br azilian has started games on the bench and often gets substituted late in the game, while Mbappé tends to play the full 90.
However, Vinícius is still a crucial member of the team and, as such, has been in talks with the club over a new contract for the last few months.
Since becoming the superstar we all know him as today, many has assumed that Vinícius will be a Real Madrid lifer for the rest of his career, however, according to recent reports from Spain, the stalling over contract talks is more important than many may guess.
As being reported by Marca, Real Madrid remain firm on their renewal stance with Vinícius Jr and will not improve their current offer despite requests from his camp for a better offer. Real have already tabled an offer to the Br azilian and that offer won't change.
The player's entourage have been advocating for a significant improvement on the terms of the offer but from the club's perspective, no changes will be made. Vinícius is reportedly looking for a significant pay rise, putting him level with Kylian Mbappé as the team's top earner.
When looking at the whole situation, there is no cause to panic, given Vinícius still has close to 20 months remaining on his current contract. The club is just looking to tie him down to a new deal to put off any interest, particularly from Saudi Arabia. While there's no cause to panic, the situation is still uncomfortable nonetheless. Many months ago, it was speculated that a renewal was close to done.
The ball is very much in Real Madrid's court now after Vini's sensational performance against Levante midweek. He showed exactly why he believes he deserves to be on the same level as Mbappé and it's now up to the club to decide what to do with the Br azilian superstar.