Earlier this summer, Barcelona completed the signing of Vitor Roque from Athletic Paranaense, in a deal that could be worth as much as €61m.
Roque is currently still in Brazil with Athletico PR, where he is expected to remain until at least the end of the year. However, Barcelona may look to bring him in this summer, depending on their financial situation.
Roque may not have been a Barcelona player at all, had Atletico Madrid listened to the player’s agent, Andre Cury, who revealed to Diario AS that he offered the 18-year-old to Los Colchoneros over one and a half years ago, but they turned him down.
🚨🎙️| André Cury (Vitor Roque’s agent): “I spoke with Andrea Berta (Atletico’s sporting director) about Vitor Roque a year and a half ago, but nothing came of it. I offered Atletico Madrid a Ballon d'Or award, but they didn't pay attention. They looked at him, liked him, and that… pic.twitter.com/9mG3ywNsbM
— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) August 5, 2023
Atletico Madrid’s snub could prove to be very costly, as the Brazilian international is expected to become a major player over the next few seasons. Barcelona will certainly be pleased that they didn’t take up Cury’s offer, and they will now look forward to utilising Roque for many years to come.
