Transfer Rumour: Real Madrid beat Barcelona to sign Flamengo wonderkid Vinicius Junior

Real Madrid have reportedly trumped their bitter rivals Barcelona to sign Vinicius Junior from Flamengo

Brazilian outlet Globoesporte have reported that Real Madrid have beaten Barcelona in pursuit of Vinicius Junior. Los Blancos are set to sign the Brazilian wonderkid for €45 million from Flamengo.

Vinicius has rapidly progressed through the ranks as boyhood club Flamengo and has emerged as one of the most exciting young prospects in the world in recent seasons. His exciting qualities and dribbling abilities have often seen him being compared to Neymar and has also earned him the label “the pearl of Brazilian football”.

Thus, it comes as no surprise that Vinicius is being primed for big things, and a bright future. His record for both the Brazil under-15 and under-17 sides are exemplary, with the 16-year-old scoring 25 goals in 28 appearances for the two sides.

Vinicius also ended the recently concluded South American under-17 Championship as the tournament’s top scorer while also being adjudged as the best player. And as he has continued to grow at an astounding rate, the who’s who of world football have taken notice of his undoubted talent.

In fact, Arsenal, Chelsea and Barcelona have been monitoring his progress for a long time and were primed to go into a transfer battle in the summer to secure his services. But, Real Madrid have taken the lead in the race to sign the exciting youngster.

That is because Los Blancos have improved Barcelona’s offer significantly, bidding €45 million to acquire Vinicius, in addition to paying €8 million each to the player and his representatives. Barcelona, on the other hand, had offered just €25 million with €7 million in wages.

The Catalan club even unsuccessfully tried using Neymar’s influence to convince the teenage prodigy to join him at Camp Nou. However, Vinicius has his heart set on moving to the Spanish capital to play for Real Madrid.

The move, though, will not be completed till the summer of 2018, when Vinicius is 18, meaning Flamengo will still enjoy his services for one more season before he eventually moves to the Santiago Bernabeu.

When he finally arrives at Real Madrid, though, he will be a prime candidate to play across any of the three positions in the offensive line. Going by the qualities that he has displayed thus far in his career, it wouldn’t be surprising if he becomes a regular for Real Madrid almost immediately.

So, an exciting future beckons for Vinicius as he is set to play for one of the biggest clubs in the world, and it remains to be seen if the move turns out to be as successful as it has been for Neymar.