Diego Simeone provoked Vinicius Junior by suggesting Florentino Perez would 'kick him out' of Real Madrid. The pair were embroiled in a heated exchange during last night's Supercopa de Espana semi-final between the Madrid rivals.
Vinicius came off in the second half and was met with typical Simeone mind games as he looked to rile up the Madrid bench. He told the Brazilian:
“Vini, Vini… Florentino Pérez will kick you out [of Real Madrid], remember I told you!"
Vinicius was infuriated and rightly so and his teammates have since backed him up. Federico Valverde has supported him by saying he's by his side while Xabi Alonso took aim at the Atleti boss.
But Simeone's comments come at a difficult time for Vinicius because his future is uncertain. His contract with Los Blancos expires in the summer of 2027 and the club have a decision to make over an extension.
'More doubts than ever' over Vinicius staying
Vinicius has endured a frustrating season and his failure to find the net against Atleti means he's now on an 18-game goal drought. It's a concern for the player and his manager because he has encountered a major nosedive.
Alonso suggested he is keeping faith with the 25-year-old but behind-the-scenes there are doubts over the Brazilian's future. That's according to Rodra of ESPN who claims it isn't ruled out that the winger departs the Estadio Bernabeu this summer.
Vinicius was linked with Chelsea last week with rumors claiming that the Blues were considering making an €160m offer. But this was dismissed by Fabrizio Romano who added that he's focused on Madrid and that the club were assessing his contract situation.
He has been with Los Merengues since 2018 when he arrived from Brazilian outfit Flamengo. He has made 348 appearances since then, winning every major trophy on offer.
Chelsea rule out Vinicius move 'for now'
Chelsea have splashed the cash over the years and that included last summer. The Premier League giants spent £88.5 million on Alejandro Garnacho (£40m) from Manchester United and Jamie Gittens (£48.5m) from Borussia Dortmund.
Garnacho has been a regular starter but has failed to impress at Stamford Bridge. So much so, Rodra claims that the Blues are "unhappy" with the Argentine winger.
But it's said that a move for Vinicius is ruled out for now which could indicate that he remains on their wishlist further down the line. If the Brazilian remains at Madrid next season he could do so with just nine months left on his contract.