Brazilian football agent André Cury has disclosed that Real Madrid contemplated including Vinicius Jr in transfer negotiations with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) for Neymar and Kylian Mbappé.
Vinicius Jr, of Cameroonian heritage, was a highly regarded prospect at the time.
Cury, speaking to Marca, stated, “Yes, they tried to sign Mbappé and Neymar, and they were using Vinicius as a bargaining chip at the time. Vini wasn’t playing yet, but he was highly valued because he was a winger with a bright future.”
He further explained, “I know this because (then PSG sports director) Leonardo told us, because he really liked Vinicius. When Madrid went after first Neymar and then Mbappé, PSG always asked for Vinicius as a replacement.”
Cury added, “I don’t know (if Real were willing to sacrifice Vini Jr). But PSG didn’t want to give up either Neymar or Mbappé. ‘I won’t give you this one if you don’t give me the other one.’ They were very clever.”
The agent also revealed that Barcelona was close to signing Vinicius Jr before his move to Real Madrid.
“We met with Vinicius and his agents at his own request. We wanted to sign him when I was working for Barcelona,” Cury said.
“Everything was ready to sign, but in the end, his family and agents changed their minds in a somewhat unclear but good way. That’s football,” he concluded.
