Former Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu revealed that the club had an “agreement in principle” to sign Vinícius Júnior before the Brazilian winger ultimately joined their rivals, Real Madrid.
Real Madrid, managed by Zinedine Zidane at the time, announced in 2017 that they had secured a deal to sign Vinícius from Flamengo, with the transfer scheduled to take effect the following year when he turned 18.
Since then, Vinícius has emerged as a key player in Madrid’s LaLiga and Champions League victories, establishing himself as one of the most highly regarded forwards globally.
In a statement from 2019, Vinícius mentioned that he opted for Madrid over Barcelona, citing better opportunities at the former club, despite Barça “offering more money.”
Bartomeu shared these insights with ESPN Deportes, confirming that Barcelona had indeed made strides toward securing the winger’s services.
“Vinícius was certainly of interest to Barcelona. We engaged in conversations with his family and agents, and there was indeed an agreement in principle,” Bartomeu stated to ESPN.
“Madrid likely presented a more appealing offer than Barcelona and ultimately secured Vinícius.” He also mentioned that he had discussions with another Madrid star before their transfer to Spain, noting that Kylian Mbappé was on Barcelona’s radar when he was at Monaco.
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Bartomeu remarked on the high fees Monaco sought for Mbappé, emphasizing that Barcelona was in a strong financial position at the time. “We were the top-earning club globally, boasting excellent financial ratios,” he noted. “I recall having multiple conversations with Mbappé’s father, but Paris Saint-Germain applied significant pressure on Monaco, and I believe Mbappé favored a move to PSG, a team from his home country.” Additionally, he noted that negotiations were ongoing with Ousmane Dembélé, who was the preferred option for the coaches.