Vinicius to Liverpool: ‘It’s going to be around £150m and transfer is likely to happen’
Vinicius Junior is likely to move to Saudi Arabia as his temperament would not be accepted in the Premier League.
That is according to ex-Everton, Aston Villa, and Aberdeen chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, who also believes a Premier League club would not pay £150million for the Real Madrid forward.
Liverpool have expressed an interest in Vinicius, whilst Man City are also contenders to sign the 25-year-old, whose contract at Real Madrid expires in 2027.
Vinicius has fallen out with Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso, but the Brazilian would demand high wages if he was to leave the Bernabeu.
Vinicius backed to make Saudi move
Everton’s former chief Keith Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – thinks Vinicius, if he was to leave Real Madrid, would move to Saudi Arabia.
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast, Wyness also has his doubts about how Vinicius would fare in the Premier League.
He told Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast: “On Vinicius, it’s going to be around about 150 million, I believe. And I don’t think it’s going to be somewhere in the UK. I think he may end up in Saudi as well at that sort of level.
“And I think that might suit him to make that sort of move. I think he is not really to me, I’d still have big question marks about how he would fare in the Premier League.
“I just, I don’t know if the physicality there would do it and this whole split with Xabi Alonso doesn’t bode well to me in terms of his temperament. There’s a certain way that players are treated at Real Madrid that they wouldn’t be treated in the UK. And I think that’s a big question mark.
“So I don’t really see him coming back over here. I think if anything, he’ll be going to Saudi and it’ll be a money deal only.”
Liverpool could turn to two transfer targets
Liverpool do have other transfer targets they could pursue in the January transfer window, as Arne Slot looks to turn around their current poor form.
RB Leipzig winger Yan Diomande is a target for Liverpool and Tottenham, with the 19-year-old deemed one of Europe’s top talents.
Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo’s £65m release clause has also prompted the attention of many clubs, with Mo Salah potentially departing Anfield.