Vinícius Júnior will wait until the end of this season before making a decision on whether to move to Saudi Arabia, a source told ESPN.
ESPN reported earlier this month that the Real Madrid star was the subject of interest from the Saudi Pro League and that Vinícius had not ruled out a move, although Madrid did not want to see him leave.
A source told ESPN that Vinícius, whose contract at Madrid, which runs until June 2027, has a 1 billion euro ($1.1 billion) release clause, has now postponed making any decision on his future until the summer of 2025.
The possibility of winning this year's Ballon d'Or was the factor that weighed most heavily in that verdict, the source said.
Representatives of the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund contacted Vinícius and Madrid to try to reach an agreement. They did not present a formal offer to the club, although an annual salary of up to 350 million euros was discussed with the player.
Madrid were not willing to negotiate below the value of Vinícius' release clause this summer.
However, there is some hope that the LaLiga giants may be more open to negotiating a reduced fee in 2025, when Vinícius would only have two years left on his contract.
The Saudi proposal was for Vinicius to play for Al Ahli and become the country's football ambassador ahead of the 2034 World Cup.
Vinícius' representatives have told Real Madrid that they are not interested in renewing his contract as the player wants time to consider his next move during this season.
The proposed deal with Saudi Arabia would have made Vinícius the highest-paid athlete in the world of sport.
The Brazilian international has won two Champions Leagues and three LaLiga titles since joining Madrid in 2018.
