"There was a basic agreement": How Vini nearly joined Bar?a

Vinicius Jr Real Madrid 2026

Ahead of El Clásico, former Barça president Bartomeu discusses the club's pursuit of Real Madrid's current superstar.

Vinicius Junior came within a hair's breadth of joining Real Madrid's arch-rivals FC Barcelona instead. That was the claim made by Josep Maria Bartomeu on ESPN in the run-up to Sunday evening's Clásico. According to the Catalans' former president, they were also in the running for another of Los Blancos' world-class stars.

"Vinicius was of interest to Barça; we spoke to his family and his agents, and there was an agreement in principle," said Bartomeu. The plan was to finalise a deal with the then 17-year-old Flamengo Rio de Janeiro forward, which would have kicked in once he turned 18.

In the end, though, Real Madrid secured his signature, and Vinicius has since established himself as one of the world's top forwards, winning three La Liga titles and two Champions Leagues.

"Madrid probably made a better offer than Barca," Bartomeu noted. Vinicius later confirmed that Barcelona had offered more money, yet he believed Real provided superior sporting prospects.

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Bartomeu also pursued Kylian Mbappé, who now plies his trade at Real Madrid. At the time, though, Paris Saint-Germain won the race to sign the teenager, who had just helped AS Monaco secure the 2017 French title.

"Monaco were asking for a lot of money," Bartomeu said, though Barcelona could have afforded it. The talks had also gone well.

"I spoke to Mbappé's father several times," Bartomeu revealed, "but Paris Saint-Germain pressed hard on Monaco, and I believe Mbappé himself preferred to join a French club."

Instead, Barcelona signed Ousmane Dembélé from Borussia Dortmund; a move that underwhelmed in Catalonia before he eventually flourished at PSG and even won the Ballon d'Or.

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