Barcelona Set To Grab 16-Year-Old Brazilian Star

Barcelona have reportedly started negotiations with Flamengo over the possibility of signing teenage starlet Vinicius Junior.

The 16-year-old is gaining more and more attention in his homeland as his impressive performances in the South American U17 championships have seen him emerge as one of the top talents in Brazil.

In turn though, that has also led to early interest from the top European clubs, with The Sun reporting that Barcelona have stolen a march on their rivals in the race to sign him.

Having been named best player at the tournament while also collecting the top scorer award with seven goals, he was pivotal in helping the Brazilians to the title.

Barca have seemingly wasted little time in trying to get this deal done as a result, with the report citing Goal.com when suggesting that they are talking to the company that owns his image rights over a move to the Nou Camp.

Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal are mentioned in the report as being linked with making a move for the talented youngster, but unless something changes drastically in the coming months, it looks as though Barcelona are very much at the front of the queue.

Should they sign Vinicius Jr, it will only add to the quality South American contingent that they already have at the club, and if Lionel Messi is anything to go by, the young Brazilian should relish the opportunity to work at La Masia en route to becoming a first-team star further down the line.