Barcelona are aware that they could face difficulties to recruit in January, but manager Xavi Hernandez is desperate for reinforcements, which incentivising the club to look at all options to do so.
It had been reported last week that the Blaugrana were giving up hope of bringing Vitor Roque’s transfer forward from next summer to the winter window, due to the difficulties of doing so within the salary limit. Yet with Xavi pushing the club hard to do so, they are looking at various alternatives.
The Blaugrana are due to pay Athletico Paranaense €30m plus €31m in variables over the next seven years of Roque’s contract, and his salary limit hit is expected to cost between €10-15m this year. As they are already €130m over their salary limit. Any margin for movement will have to come from savings, transfers or the addition of the €40m they are owed by Libero for the sale of a percentage of Barca Studios. Uncertainty reigns over that deal though, and while it is not yet clear how much margin Barcelona have, even the slight relaxation of the spending limit rules by La Liga make it difficult for Barcelona to register Roque in January.
Ahead of this challenge, while the club would rather work out a deal for Roque this January, they are considering a six-month loan for the 18-year-old. A loan deal could majorly reduce the impact on the salary limit, and allow Roque to come in and help this winter, as per Sport.
The doubt over that option will be both La Liga and Athletico Paranaense. The league may see this as a disingenuous attempt to sign Roque without paying for him, and as they have done previously, may determine a ‘true cost’ for the salary limit. Equally, for Athletico PR, they have Barcelona over a barrel, in that they can demand a loan fee for Roque with no consequences for themselves if it doesn’t work out.
