Man City transfer news: Pep Guardiola 'requests' signing of Real Madrid superstar to support Erling Haaland

Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola is reportedly desperate for his side to move for unsettled Real Madrid attacker Vinicius Junior during next summer's transfer window.

The Brazil international has scored five times and registered four assists in 11 La Liga appearances this season, but he has struggled to make his mark in the Champions League, failing to score or register an assist across four outings in the competition during the 2025-26 campaign.

There is tension behind the scenes, meanwhile, with Vinicius reacting furiously to being replaced in the latter stages of the La Liga clash with Barcelona towards the end of last month.

The 25-year-old apologised for his reaction and has since started against Valencia and Liverpool, but his contract is due to expire in June 2027, and there is huge uncertainty surrounding the attacker's future.

According to reports in Spain, Real Madrid would be willing to let Vinicius leave for €150m (£132m) next summer, with Paris Saint-Germain thought to lead the European interest in the attacker.

Man City 'target' Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Junior

Former Real Madrid midfielder Claude Makelele recently told Sports Mole that Los Blancos would likely side with their manager Alonso over Vinicius if another rift broke out.

“He is young player, a competitor. He wants to play 90 minutes. But the manager can deal with this and make an understanding. But he is big player, the same capacity as [Kylian] Mbappe. It's normal," Makelele told Sports Mole.

“In my time, the manager put you out because sometimes you don’t give him the success he wants. But sometimes it’s very delicate to put this kind of player out.

"It can be him, Mbappe, [Jude] Bellingham, it's happened for every player. It will happen again, I'm sure. But the more important thing, the club, the manager needs to always be bigger than the player.”

There is believed to be a serious chance that Vinicius will be sold in 2026, and according to Goal, Man City are emerging as serious contenders for his signature.

Could Man City really sign Vinicius next summer?

Citizens head coach Guardiola allegedly views Vinicius as the ideal player to support Erling Haaland in the final third of the field, with the Norway international leading the charge for Man City this term.

Haaland has scored 18 times in 14 appearances for Man City this season, with Phil Foden next on the next with four, so the 25-year-old has lacked support in that area of the field.

Vinicius is seemingly ready to move on, and Man City are one of few clubs in world football capable of pulling off a deal for the Brazilian, who has scored 111 goals and registered 87 assists in 337 appearances for Real Madrid since making the move to Flamengo.

There is certainly tension between Vinicius and senior figures at Bernabeu, and it is emerging as a serious possibility that the South American leaves the Spanish giants at the end of the campaign.