Erling Haaland ‘absolute top’ Real Madrid ‘target’ amid ‘unprecedented’ Vinicius Jr transfer claim

Erling Haaland is reportedly the ‘absolute top target’ at Real Madrid after Florian Plettenberg stated an ‘unprecedented’ move away for Vinicius Junior is still on the table.

Real Madrid superstar Vinicius has been one of the big names in the thoughts of the Saudi Pro League for some time. They have made attempts to lure some of the biggest stars in the world to the Middle East in recent times, and he’s the latest.

It was recently reported the Brazilian, who finished second in the last Ballon d’Or vote, had rejected a multi-year, €1billion contract offer to head to the Saudi Pro League.

The reason for the refusal was reportedly that the Saudis wanted Vinicius for five years, but he was not willing to commit to being there for so long.

Further to that, it was suggested the Real Madrid man was movin to renewing his deal with his current club for two or three years.

However, Plettenberg has revealed that a move to Saudi in the summer is ‘not entirely off the table. The Saudis are said to ‘continue to dream of pulling off this XXL transfer’.

The insider suggests the deal would be of ‘unprecedented scale’ in terms of both transfer fee and wages, but does not give any specifics on that.

And if Vinicius is to leave, Man City superstar Haaland is the ‘absolute top target’ to replace him. Haaland has long been on Real’s list, but with Vinicius and Kylian Mbappe at the club, the transfer may have been a wasteful one.

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But it’s conceivable that without Vinicius, Mbappe and Haaland could fit into the same front line. Though the Frenchman is primarily a central striker, he has played more than 80 games in his career on the left wing. He’s also played on the right wing on a fair few occasions.

As such, Haaland, who is an out-and-out striker, could have space made for him, in what could become one of the deadliest attacks in the world, given how potent both men are.

But City’s star asset leaving seems tough, with manager Pep Guardiola stating at the time of his 2025 contract extension: “When one player decides to sign this type of contract, it is because he wants to show how desperate he is to be here.

“He settled perfectly. He loves the club and the people he’s around. He loves the Premier League. He is here with his wife and father and has decided there is no better place to be in the next 10 years, so he and his family decide to stay.”

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