Barcelona Sporting Director Deco has painted a more positive picture of Barcelona’s chances of signing Vitor Roque this January, as Xavi Hernandez cries out for reinforcements.
The 18-year-old Brazilian forward has agreed a move to Barcelona for the summer of 2024, in a deal worth €30m plus €31m in variables. The plan was always to bring that deal forward to this January, but with Barcelona struggling for room in their salary cap though, their chances of getting him are reportedly slim.
Deco has told Sport that they will try to bring him in this January.
“We all want him to come as soon as possible. From the beginning there was talk that he would only come from January, because that was the condition that Athletico Paranaense set. We are doing everything, we know the LaLiga regulations, that there have been some changes that can help us and, if this happens, we also have some responsibilities with LaLiga when it comes to fulfilling some pending things.”
Quizzed on the fact that previously he had been pessimistic on the prospect, the former Porto midfielder dodged the question.
“There were some changes in La Liga [their rules] and we have to look at it. We have people in the club, financiers, people from La Liga, people who interpret the regulations depending on our situation… We will unite all of these people and see how we can approach this.”
On Roque himself as a player, Deco backed him to become one of the best in the world.
“He is a kid who has goals. And that is very difficult to find. All clubs look for someone with goals. He is young and has important forward movements. He looks for space a lot, he presses, he moves very well behind the center backs, in the area… He has important qualities to be a great player in world football.”
And noted that far from a hindrance, having Robert Lewandowski in front of him in the pecking order, whom Deco confirmed they would be hanging onto for the rest of his contract, was a help.
“If I were Vitor Roque I would like to have a Lewandowski, of course. As a footballer I would have liked to play with Robert. You always like to play with the guys who are good. I think Vitor would love to have the best players at his side and we know that ‘Lewy’ is one of the best in the world. He has made history and is still making history.”
Finally, he also spoke to the fact that there was no one faction of the Barcelona recruitment team that was pushing the move through.
“Vitor is not a bet of mine. It is normal to say that this is one person’s bet and the other is another’s. But Vitor is a bet for the club. The scouting department also gave its approval, it is a bet from the president, who also listened to my opinion, and also a bet from Xavi. Roque wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for Xavi’s approval.”
Barcelona’s biggest obstacle to bringing Roque in this January because they were reportedly around €130m over their salary limit. This means they can only use a percentage of what they save and earn towards a deal for Roque, and means they would need to generate double his cost to register him.
It could be a decisive step in the La Liga title race one way or another, with Barcelona relying heavily on Lewandowski’s goals as things stand. Roque would add a different threat off the bench, an opportunity to rotate the Polish striker, and to rest him.
