What’s the story?
Real Madrid have beaten Barcelona to the signing of Flamengo sensation, Vinicius Júnior according to Brazilian media outlet, Globoesporte. The 16-year-old is highly rated in Brazil and is compared with Neymar already.
Globoesporte also reports that Vinicius has reportedly decided to join Los Blancos ahead of the Catalan giants. The striker is said to be a big fan of the Bernabeu side and is keen on joining them.
In case you didn’t know...
Barcelona have been scouting Vinicius for a long time and have been trying to strike a deal with Flamengo for him. However, the Brazilian side were not interested in letting him leave.
The striker is treated like a jewel ever since he joined the club in 2010. He has been the standout young player, and he became champion, best player and top scorer at the South American Under-17 Championship.
The heart of the matter
Barcelona and Real Madrid have been scouting in Brazil for a long time. However, Vinicius only caught the eye of the Catalan scouts. As the club began negotiations with Flamengo for the striker, Madrid scouts started noticing him.
The Catalan side were trying to sign him up for €25 million plus add-ons while the Brazilian side was demanding €61 million (€45 million initially plus add-ons). As the negotiations took place, Real Madrid swooped in and agreed to meet Flamengo's demands.
Barcelona were confident that Andre Cury, the man who convinced Neymar to join the club, would do the trick again and get Vinicius to join them. However, the striker and his family were not willing to listen to him and were only keen on what Madrid were offering.
What’s next?
Despite agreeing a deal with Flamengo, Real Madrid will not be able to sign him until the end of the 2017/18 season. The striker is 16 and will have to turn 18 before he can be officially registered by Los Blancos.
Madrid just have a deal in place for him now and will only register him as their player when the 2018/19 season begins. Barcelona will try all they can to change the player's mind on the move as the official contract is not signed yet.
Author’s Take
Vinicius is worth the hype. He has been hyped more than Neymar in Brazil, and the world is just getting to know him. If you have no clue about him, just watch the video above, and you'll understand why he's a big thing already in the South American country.
