This week, football took perhaps its craziest financial turn yet when Real Madrid announced the signing of 16-year-old Vinicius Junior from Flamengo.
The teenager dubbed the 'next Neymar' made the move to Los Blancos for a fee believed to be around £40m, a ridiculous amount for a player signed purely on potential.
The young Brazilian has actually only played in two senior games, recording just 20 minutes of pitch time, but Zinedine Zidane's side saw fit to invest heavily in the prospect for his performances at youth level.
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Vinicius is not scheduled to appear in the Spanish capital until 2019 and will instead remain with Flamengo, although, Real can add the player to their ranks earlier if they wish.
The move for the 16-year-old stunned the footballing world but it seems that the fee could have been even more inflated if Barcelona had acquired his coveted signature.
The Blaugrana were actually prepared to offer more money for the player deemed to be the heir to their current superstar's throne but Vinicius opted to reject the Catalan club.
Barca may be one of the most attractive clubs in the world but the Brazilian believed that the project going on at their bitter rivals was better for him.
That's one way to rub salt in the wounds of the Blaugrana hierarchy.
Vinicius' agent, Frederico Pena, explained in an interview with Globo Esporte the reasoning behind their preference for the Spanish capital.
"Barcelona put together a more lucrative package for the player," he said.
"Many believe that it is madness [what Real Madrid are doing] but they were not the only ones involved in the supposed madness. They are not the only crazy ones willing to pay for the quality of Vinicius."
Pena then explained that Vinicius simply preferred the package offered by Real.
"People get the impression that he made the decision based on financial situation but it's not the truth," he added. "I assure, the negotiating stance that Real Madrid took was better."
You'd like to say money doesn't always do the talking but in a deal of this magnitude for an unproven teenager, that cliche simply cannot be used.
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