Vinicius’ intervention resulted in Liverpool losing the race of signing Jude Bellingham
Real Madrid winger Vinicius Jr has cheekily admitted he played a key role in ruining Liverpool’s transfer plans by helping lure Jude Bellingham to the Bernabeu in an interview covered by Express.
For the second consecutive summer, the Brazilian revealed he was instrumental in steering a major target away from the Reds’ grasp and to Madrid instead.
Last year Vinicius used his powers of persuasion to convince Eduardo Camavinga to snub interest from Liverpool and sign for the Spanish giants.
He repeated the trick with Bellingham, insisting he spent “months” messaging the English midfielder urging him to choose Madrid over the Reds and other elite suitors.
‘We’re so happy he signed – I had been texting him for months! I said: ‘This is the best team in the world’. I knew other teams wanted him. [Real Madrid chief scout] Juni Calafat has become a friend and he knows that if I can give a little help, I will.
I did the same with Cama [Eduardo Camavinga]. I was sending him messages, he came and won the Champions League. Hopefully it will be the same for Jude.’
Liverpool were keen on signing Bellingham to overhaul their midfield. But Vinicius’ relentless charm helped convince the 20-year-old Dortmund star to head to the capital instead.
In also the case of Camavinga, Vinicius’ personal lobbying gave Madrid the edge over Liverpool in the race for two of Europe’s top young talents.
Klopp opted to sign four other players instead of competing for Bellingham
The Reds likely would have thought twice to match the finances required to sign the 20-year-old Bellingham regardless as they also had other deals in the pipeline.
But Vinicius boasting of steering the midfielder to Madrid for the second straight summer will still sting Liverpool fans.
Jurgen Klopp was forced to explore alternative midfield options, signing four reinforcements Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch, Wataru Endo, and Dominik Szoboszlai for a combined £148m instead.
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Meanwhile, Bellingham continues shining at the Bernabeu, scoring eight goals in his first eight games since Vinicius helped seal his switch.
The Madrid forward’s revealing comments underscore how he has been a thorn in Liverpool’s side in recent transfer windows.
