Barcelona have reached an agreement with Athletico Paranaense for the transfer of Vitor Roque. The young forward only wanted to join the Blaugrana and has now got his wish with the two clubs finalising a €30 million fee. However, he will only be linking up with the rest of the squad in January 2024.
The documents for the move have been checked and exchanged, sanctioning the player’s move. The contribution of new sporting director Deco was crucial in getting the deal over the line. Barcelona now have a young understudy under their first-choice striker, Robert Lewandowski, who is expected to play the majority of games.
Vitor Roque to sign for Barcelona after deal finalised
The 18-year-old also attracted interest from Premier League clubs like Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United. But he was always set on playing for Barcelona. He rejected the proposals from England in order to get the move to Spain.
Vitor Roque was the top scorer of the Sudamericano Sub-20, alongside fellow countryman Andrey Santos who joined Chelsea during the winter transfer window. The Brazilian’s value has shot up over the last few months, and he is now expected to be a mainstay at Barcelona for the future.
He will also have a €1 billion release clause in his contract, rendering him untransferable unless the club decides to part ways with him. The duration of the deal is until June 2030. The La Liga winners will need to find a way to register him as they are still operating within the wage cut orders by the league body. They haven’t been able to register Ilkay Gundogan or Inigo Martinez yet, and will have to find a way to offload their fringe players to make room on the books.
