Vinicius JR to Acquire Spanish Passport this Summer

A report from Spanish publication, AS, and later confirmed by ESPN’s Alex Kirkland, revealed that 19-year-old Brazilian winger, Vinicius JR, is expected to acquire his Spanish passport this summer. This is normal protocol after spending two years in the capital of Spain. The process is taken care of by the club and has been used for other South American Real Madrid players like Fede Valverde, Casemiro, and Marcelo. Across Europe, teams are granted three non-EU spots in their match-day squad. This season, those spots have been taken by Vinicius JR, Eder Militao, and Rodrygo Goes.

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With the free spot, Real Madrid open themselves to new options in their 2020-2021 squad building process. It is possible that Reinier Jesus is promoted to the first team, Takefusa Kubo is recalled from loan to join the first team, or a new potential foreign based signing is considered. The quicker “extranjeros” snap up a Spanish passport, the greater flexibility Real Madrid have in making moves in the transfer market.