Real Madrid just closed a blockbuster renewal for star defensive midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni, putting any transfer rumors to bed. Jose Mourinho specifically requested the French No. 6 to stay, and Real have locked him down from any and all interest from Premier League clubs like Manchester United and Chelsea that have been linked to him.
Next up on the list for Florentino Perez is Vinicius Junior, an even more important player whom fans are frustrated has not been renewed by now. Vini has just one year left on his current contract with Real Madrid, and Arsenal and other fan bases are already getting their hopes up that maybe, just maybe, they could sign the best left winger on the planet.
But Fabrizio Romano and all the big outlets in Spain are relaying that after the World Cup and maybe a little heart to heart chat with new manager Jose Mourinho, Vinicius Jr. is closer than ever to putting pen to paper on a new Madrid contract.
Who else is next?
Fab says that Aurelien Tchouameni and Vinicius Junior are not the only big deals for Madridistas to keep an eye out for. The world's biggest transfer insider reported that Florentino Perez and Real Madrid are working on the renewal of another important player at the club. Romano was very specific to point out that this is separate from the good news he has already reported of Vini and Real coming closer to a renewal; he also admitted he will divulge the name of the player later when the timing is right.
Real Madrid fans can try to guess who that player might be. Thibaut Courtois is the only other player with a contract expiring at the end of the 2026/27 season, and while he is 34 and Real only do year by year renewals for players 32 or older as a matter of policy (and he is coming off an injury at the World Cup), he is so important to Real that extended him now before the six month mark would make sense.
For the season after, Rodrygo Goes and Eder Militao are the only stars who would really be on the extension radar right now, but with the injuries they are having, it would make little sense. There is no urgency to extend contracts expiring in 2029, but Kylian Mbappe, Arda Guler, Jude Bellingham, and Fede Valverde are all high profile candidates, with Jude and Arda standing out the most as players earning even longer deals.
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