After months of deliberations, negotiations and back and forth, Real Madrid finally managed to get Vinicius Junior to agree to a new contract at the club.
The Brazilian was linked with a potential exit this summer, with Arsenal touted as a possible destination, but Los Blancos eventually improved their offer and convinced him.
Now, according to Abraham Romero on Defensa Central, Real Madrid are preparing to turn their attention to Jude Bellingham’s contract situation, with the club keen to reward the England international and place him on a salary level similar to Vinicius.
Bellingham could match Vinicius financially
Bellingham is next in line for renewal talks after Real Madrid resolved Vinicius’ future, with the club viewing the 23-year-old as one of the central figures of the project both on and off the pitch.
The club value him very highly internally and want to be proactive in renewing his contract with a salary that justifies his stature.
Next in line for a renewal. (Photo courtesy: Real Madrid official website)
The midfielder’s current contract runs until 2029, so the Merengues are not under immediate pressure. Even so, the club want to avoid allowing another major contract situation to drift.
Bellingham’s importance goes far beyond performances.
Romero stressed that the England star is one of the most commercially valuable players in the squad and features heavily in the club’s promotional campaigns.
He added that while Bellingham may not necessarily sell the most shirts, he is considered one of the players who best embodies Real Madrid’s image, particularly in fashion and lifestyle campaigns.
Real Madrid confident despite Premier League interest
Being English, Bellingham is always going to be subject to Premier League links throughout his career.
Several English clubs were interested in the 23-year-old before his move to Madrid, and that situation is unlikely to change.
Even Bellingham could harbour dreams of returning to his home country at some point in his career and playing for one of the top clubs there.
An untouchable for Mourinho. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)
However, Los Blancos remain optimistic about getting him to agree to a new contract at this stage of his career.
Bellingham now gets the opportunity to work with a historic manager like Jose Mourinho, who is likely to make him pivotal to his plans this season.
The former Borussia Dortmund midfielder is expected to start behind Kylian Mbappe and be one of the guaranteed starters for Mourinho.
Having returned to full team training a few days ago, Bellingham will be raring to go when Madrid begin their La Liga campaign against Espanyol next weekend.
It remains to be seen how contract negotiations with him transpire and whether Real Madrid manage to wrap them up much more quickly than they did with Vinicius.