Athletico Paranaense forward Vitor Roque accepts there are similarities between himself and Barcelona legend Luis Suarez as Premier League leaders Arsenal battle the La Liga giants for his signature, speaking to Sport.
Come July, we will be celebrating the tenth anniversary of that infamous ‘£40 million and a pound’ bid Arsenal submitted for Liverpool’s then-talismanic number seven. You know the one. The bid that had John W Henry wondering aloud if it was just tobacco in their cigarettes.
Arsenal may have missed out on the original Luis Suarez but that does not mean they cannot land the ‘next’ one.
Technical director Edu Gaspar, Goal reports, is already in talks with Vitor Roque’s representatives. The Brazil U20 international, who celebrated his 18th birthday recently, has been a ‘revelation’ over the last 12 months, firing the Selecao starlets to glory at the U20 South American champions while earning himself a place in the Copa Libertadores team of the tournament.
And, while so many young Brazilians are frequently labelled the second coming of Neymar or Pele, Roque’s bustling movement and instinctive finishing have led to comparisons with a certain Uruguayan.
Will Arsenal beat Barcelona to the ‘new Luis Suarez?
“Yes, I think so, there are great similarities. Both Luis Suarez and I use a lot of physicality in the way we play, and we also have things in common in finishing, being very keen on scoring goals,” Roque explains.
“That’s the spirit in South America; it’s a way of being very competitive, which makes us different from other footballers.”
Suarez, while a legend at Liverpool, played arguably his best football at Barcelona; scoring 198 goals in 283 games while lifting about every trophy imaginable. The chance to follow in Suarez’s footsteps at the Camp Nou, meanwhile, could have Roque doing like fellow Brazilian Raphinha and turning down Arsenal in favour of Barcelona.
“(Suarez) is now playing here at Gremio. I hope that, when we play, we can swap shirts,” Roque adds. “I’d love to have his shirt. I get a lot of inspiration from what he does and I hope that, if I go to Barcelona, I can be as successful as he was.
“I feel ready to play for Barcelona.”
Vitor Roque could cost £40 million
Roque’s agent, Andre Cury, is a former Blaugrana scout; another boost to those Catalonian hopes. Cury admits that Athletico Paranaense have already rejected big bids from this side of the Atlantic.
“We have already had offers, but they were refused,” Cury says. There was an English club, a Spanish club, and an Italian one.
“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.
“(Roque is) demonstrating all the physical, mental and technical characteristics to play for a big club in Europe. 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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