A former Real Madrid scout believes the future of Brazilian winger Vinicius Junior at the Santiago Bernabeu could be in jeopardy because of club president Florentino Perez's stance on Kylian Mbappe.
The France international realised his dreams when he joined the Spanish giants at the beginning of the 2024/25 campaign, leaving Paris Saint-Germain as a free agent to do so.
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However, integrating the 26-year-old into Los Blancos' star-studded attack has proven to be challenging, with Vinicius thriving in his preferred left-wing role and Mbappe forced to play centrally.
Now, former Real scout Manolo Romero claims that Perez's long-standing admiration for Mbappe could eventually lead to Vinicius's departure if a significant offer comes in.
"I am convinced that he [Vinicius] would leave," Romero stated during an interview with SPORT per Khel Now.
"If they come with more than €300 million (around R5.8 billion), I am convinced that Florentino will sell him, that he would even take him to the airport in his car.
"The thing is, €300 million is a lot of money. I think Florentino's darling is going to be Mbappé. He has been behind him for seven years."
This revelation comes amid reports that Saudi Pro League giants Al Ahli were willing to table a staggering offer that could have exceeded Vinicius's $1 billion (R18 billion) buyout clause.
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Despite the eye-watering figure, Real are said to have opted to retain the 23-year-old Brazilian, deeming him indispensable to the team's ambitions.