Real Madrid completes swoop for Flamengo teenager Vinicius Junior

Vinicius Junior, 16, only played his first professional game in May but he has been snapped up by Real Madrid for a reported €45million fee.

Real Madrid have completed a deal to sign promising 16-year-old Brazilian Vinicius Junior from Flamengo in July 2018.

Vinicius cannot link up with La Liga champion Madrid until after his 18th birthday next year, but the Spanish giant plan for him to stay at Flamengo until July 2019 unless both clubs agree otherwise.

Reports in Brazil and Spain claim the value of the transfer is €45million.

The teenager has impressed for his country at youth level, topping the scoring charts with seven goals as Brazil won the South American Under-17 Championship in March. He will be heading his nation's Under-17 in the FIFA U-17 World Cup in India this October.

Vinicius soon began courting interest from Madrid and only made his first-team debut for Flamengo as a late substitute in the 1-1 Campeonato Brasileiro draw against Atletico Mineiro on May 13.

The 16-year-old signed a new deal with the Rio de Janeiro giants last week that boosted his salary and raised his release clause from €30m to €45m.

Madrid is believed to have been keen to wrap up the deal early to avoid missing out on his signature to a rival European club, as occurred when Barcelona scuppered its hopes of taking Neymar to the Santiago Bernabeu while he was still at Santos.