Now, Flamengo president Baptista has played down suggestions that Vinicius could re-sign with his old club in the imminent future.
He told AS: "That's a journalist's question [laughs]. The thing is, Vinicius Junior had a period when he played with [Lucas] Paqueta at Flamengo. I think it was in 2016 or 2017. They played together in the youth ranks and at the professional level. They played together on the first team for six months. They have a very good personal relationship. They're friends; they're both players who came from Flamengo, met here, and even share an agency, Roc Nation Sports Brasil.
"There's a big difference between where Lucas Paqueta is at this stage of his life and where Vinicius Junior is at this stage. Paqueta has someone waiting for him at home every day; he has a family. Vini doesn't have anyone waiting for him at home. They're different situations. Vini isn't an option for Flamengo. I'm sure that if there were a transfer involving Vinicius Junior, it would be a transfer with a salary, today, for values much higher than what we're considering for Paqueta. That possibility doesn't exist. Not yet. Flamengo can't do it yet."