Former Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has revealed that Vinicius Junior had a “preliminary agreement” to join the Catalan club before ultimately moving to Real Madrid.
In May 2017, Madrid announced a deal with Flamengo for the then-16-year-old, with the transfer completed in July 2018 when he turned 18 — the minimum age for international moves.
Vinicius Jr has won 14 trophies with Madrid, including two Champions League titles.
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The Brazil international has since scored 127 goals across eight seasons in Madrid’s first team and is widely regarded as one of the world’s top players.
“Vinicius Jr was of interest to us,” Bartomeu, who served as Barcelona president from 2014 to 2020, told ESPN Deportes. “We spoke with his family and his agents, and there was indeed an initial agreement.”
He added, explaining why Vinicius ended up with Barca’s arch-rivals: “Madrid possibly made a better offer than Barca and took Vinicius.”
Bartomeu’s comments come ahead of Sunday’s El Clasico, where Barcelona can clinch the La Liga title if they avoid defeat. Hansi Flick’s side need just one point to maintain an unassailable 11-point lead over second-place Madrid with only three matches remaining.
