Arsenal, Chelsea and Barcelona are reportedly in a three-way tussle for Flamengo wonderkid Vinicius Junior, labelled the new Neymar.
The Sun have claimed that all three clubs are interested in Flamengo wonderkid Vinicius Junior. The Brazilian teenage prodigy has been hailed as the ‘new Neymar’ in Latin America and it seems he could also be set to follow in the Barcelona superstar’s footsteps and head to Europe in the near future.
Vinicius Junior joined Flamengo at the age of ten and has since blazed through the youth setups. Reports indicate no other player has created this much hype around his talent in the world of football since the emergence of Neymar, a statement that highlights his prodigious talent.
Vinicius has been highly prolific for Brazil, scoring six goals in six games for the Under-15 side and five in five outings for the Under-17 side. The player came close to winning the Golden Boot at the Under-15 South American Championships in 2015 with a return of six goals.
16-year-old Vinicius Junior at #Copinha2017 so far:
6 games
4 goals
5 assistsJust for the record – Copinha is an Under-20 tournament. pic.twitter.com/I4IaYLfyn4
— FootballTalentScout (@FTalentScout) January 16, 2017
Vinicius is being hailed as the complete package, with electrifying dribbles and accurate passes part of his repertoire. The Neymar comparisons have been made due to his similarity in playing style and flamboyant lifestyle. The 16-year-old is expected to feature for Flamengo’s senior team in 2017.
Flamengo has already moved to secure Vinicius Junior’s future, with a mega contract offered to the Brazilian, one that includes a £26 million buyout clause. His comparisons with Neymar has subsequently and unsurprisingly drawn interest from Neymar’s current employers, Barcelona.
There have been reports of a potential exit for Barcelona while his current goal drought has brought about rumours of unhappiness in the dressing room surrounding the Brazilian. So it doesn’t come as much of a surprise that the Catalan giants are interested in the new Neymar.
Arsenal and Chelsea are also rivalling Barcelona for the player, though. The two Premier League heavyweights were also linked with Neymar before his move to Barcelona and they are now looking to rival Barcelona again, and perhaps, beat the Spanish club this time.
Vinicius Junior is predominantly a central forward but can play on either wing as well. Chelsea are in search of reinforcements upfront with a view to replace Diego Costa, who seems to have one foot out of Stamford Bridge at the present moment.
Barcelona have an ageing Luis Suarez upfront, who is set to turn 30 towards the end of January. With Paco Alcacer failing to prove himself half-a-season into his Barcelona career, the Catalans are also thought to be looking to add another forward to their ranks.
Arsenal seem to be in more of a need than the other two though, with the likes of Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil turning into contract rebels, which has thrown their Arsenal future into doubt.
Vinicius is contracted till 2019, but his buyout clause means the three clubs are likely to come swooping in soon.
