Barcelona Sporting Director Deco has confirmed that Brazilian teenage striker Vitor Roque will sign for Barcelona.
Roque, 19, will join after a deal was agreed with Athletico Paranaense at a reported €30m deal with an extra €31m available in bonuses. He is expected to join in January currently, as Barcelona do not have sufficient room in their salary limit to complete the deal and register him as a first-team player.
Deco was seen exiting a restaurant where he had been meeting with Director of Football Mateu Alemany, presumably to discuss signings. He was asked about Roque, saying the following.
“Of course I’m satisfied, he is a very good player,” Deco responded to questions about Roque.
🧐 Deco, cazado a la salida del restaurante
✅ Confirma el fichaje de Vitor Roque
🗣️ “Claro que estoy satisfecho. Es muy buen jugador. Es una cuestión de club cuando se haga oficial”
⁉️ ¿Qué pasó con Güler? “No lo sé”
📹 @DBR8 pic.twitter.com/bYmFrv9kYC
— Diario SPORT (@sport) July 10, 2023
Asked when the deal would be made official, he commented that ‘I don’t know, it’s up to the club’.
Deco was also asked about Turkish teenage sensation Arda Guler, who signed for Real Madrid last week. He had travelled to Istanbul to meet with Guler and when he returned, there was optimism in Barcelona over a deal. Asked what happened to change things so dramatically, Deco simply said ‘I don’t know’.
Meanwhile Alemany was also asked about the exit operation for Barcelona, to which he responded ‘there aren’t that many’.
While the agreement for Roque has been widely reported, this is the first official confirmation that the deal will be done from someone at the club. Deco was thought to have been key in negotiations with his compatriot, knowing the Brazilian market well. Previously he acted as a scout for Barcelona in South America.
