Arsenal are in talks to sign Vitor Roque but Barcelona are confident of beating the Premier League leaders to the £40 million-rated Athletico Paranaense wonderkid, according to Sport Italia.
The Spanish giants have a couple of trump cards up their sleeve, too. Roque’s agent, after all, is none other than Andre Cury. A former Barcelona scout, no less.
One-time Blaugrana playmaker Deco, meanwhile, is close friends of Athletico’s technical director; the 2002 World Cup-winning ex-Brazil boss Luiz Felipe Scolari. Deco, now an adviser to Camp Nou president Joan Laporta, played a key role as Barca beat Arsenal to the signature of then-Leeds United talisman Raphinha last summer, and Barcelona’s extensive contact book could come in very handy again with one of the brightest attacking talents in South America at the centre of a Europe-wide tug-of-war.
Arsenal, Goal say, opened talks with Vitor Roque’s representatives recently; the club’s Brazilian director Edu Gaspar leading negotiations. The Gunners are hoping to take the lead in a race also consisting of Chelsea, Newcastle United, Juventus and Real Madrid, but it’s Barcelona who look most likely to cut Edu off at the corner.
Will Barcelona beat Arsenal to Vitor Roque?
Talks between Barca and Athletico, Sport Italia say, are ongoing. The 2015 Champions League winners are stepping up discussions in an attempt to snatch Roque from under the nose of financially powerful Premier League clubs, and confidence is ‘high’ that the teen sensation will be wearing red and blue in 2023/24.
Roque, who turns 18 later this month, scored six times in eight games as Brazil won the U20 South American Championships recently.
“We have already had offers, but they were refused. There was an English club, a Spanish club, and an Italian one,” explains Cury. “We got more or less an offer of 25 million euros (for Roque). We immediately rejected it, because I believe that the player has a higher value than that.
“The time (to leave) is when the right club arrives. One which has a great project, reaches the price-tag, and everyone leaves this negotiation satisfied.”
Vitor Roque is nicknamed the ‘new Ronaldo’
Athletico Paranaense, ESPN say, value Roque at a staggering £40 million. A huge fee, of course, but Brazilian clubs have made similar sums by selling their most exciting talents to European clubs in recent seasons; Vinicius Jr, Reinier Jesus and Endrick de Souza, for instance, joined Real Madrid for substantial sums.
“(Roque is) demonstrating all the physical, mental and technical characteristics to play for a big club in Europe,” Cury adds. He works a lot physically and contributes a lot to the team; a modern player.
“The big ‘number nines’ in Europe are of advancing ages, like (Karim) Benzema, (Edinson) Cavani, and (Robert) Lewandowski. They will open that gap for these players.
“Vitor Roque is going to have a great future in Europe. Mainly because of his hard work and strong mentality.”
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