Barcelona, a perennial La Liga powerhouse, is apparently making a concerted attempt to get Vitor Roque from Athletico Paranaese for €40 million
Jeunes Footeux of France reports that Barcelona will try to get the jump on Vitor Roque. To get rid of the Brazilian sensation, Athletico Paranaense is asking for between €35 million and €40 million.
Vitor Roque’s development has been phenomenal since he first joined Athletico Paranaense a year ago. The young prodigy spent most of his formative years at Atletico Mineiro before spending some time with Cruzeiro. However, the then-17-year-old has quickly become a star for Athletico Paranaense.
The young Brazilian ace had a productive 2022 year, scoring once every 180 minutes over 51 games (14 goals, 5 assists). After a stellar season, he has caught the attention of numerous European powerhouses, including Barcelona.
Throughout much of 2022, Barcelona actively chased Endrick. However, the Blaugrana were unable to afford his transfer, thus they cancelled the deal. Meanwhile, FC Barcelona’s archrival Real Madrid was able to recruit Endrick before they did. That has prompted them to look elsewhere for a permanent replacement for Robert Lewandowski.
Lewandowski, a Polish striker who just joined Barcelona last summer, is now well into his 30s. It is thus incumbent upon the Catalan club to have a long-term strategy for replacing the departed star player from Bayern Munich. And thus, Vitor Roque has made his way into Barcelona’s radar. Real Madrid is also interested in signing the Brazilian wonderkid, which is bad news for the Blaugrana.
Will Victor Roque move to the Camp Nou?
The money that Athletico Paranaense is demanding will also be a problem for Barcelona. Because the Brazilian powerhouses are asking for almost €40 million to let go of the 17-year-old. Barcelona, however, cannot afford such a large fee this year. Therefore they will try to guarantee themselves first dibs on a transfer in the near future.
Taking the 3 points with us to Barcelona 💪🏻 pic.twitter.com/K6VCTX2e9k
— Frenkie de Jong (@DeJongFrenkie21) January 9, 2023
The rumoured interest from Chelsea and Real Madrid in signing Vitor Roque, for example, means that going that route would be dangerous. It remains to be seen whether Barcelona can beat out the competition and snag the talented teenager. The Catalan giants are now trying to get their hands on the Brazilian sensation before everyone else.
