Former Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has said Vinicius Junior had a “preliminary agreement” to join the club prior to his move to Real Madrid.
In May 2017, Madrid announced an agreement with Flamengo to sign Vinicius Jr, then aged 16, when he turned 18 in July 2018 — the minimum age for an international transfer.
The Brazil international has gone on to score 127 goals across eight seasons in Madrid’s first team and has become widely recognised as one of the world’s star players.
“Vinicius Jr was of interest to us (Barca),” Bartomeu, who was Barcelona president between 2014 and 2020, told ESPN Deportes. “We spoke with his family, with his agents, and there was indeed an initial agreement.”
Bartomeu then added, of how Vinicius Jr ended up instead at Barca’s rivals in the Spanish capital: “Madrid possibly made a better offer than Barca and took Vinicius.”
Bartomeu’s comments come ahead of Sunday’s El Clasico between the two clubs, which will see Barca crowned La Liga champions if they avoid defeat.
Hansi Flick’s side require just one point to maintain an unassailable 11-point lead over second-place Madrid, with just three rounds of matches remaining.
