With Gavi ruled out for the rest of the season with a serious knee injury, Barcelona will be allowed to free up 80% of his wages to bring in a player during the winter transfer window. It won’t be a replacement, but rather someone that they already own.
Vitor Roque signed for Barcelona during the summer, but the Catalan club’s poor finances meant that he could not arrive right away. Instead, he has remained at Athletico Paranaense until the end of the season, and he could have stayed there until next summer before Gavi’s injury.
However, the funds freed up from the 19-year-old’s wages are enough for Barcelona to register Roque, with MD reporting that La Liga have approved the operation. It means that barring any last minute hiccups, the Brazilian youngster will arrive in January, which is a massive boost for head coach Xavi Hernandez.
It terms of a Gavi replacement, Barcelona will not be able to afford one at the moment. They could be able to if they receive the €40m owed for the part-sale of Barca Studios, which Libero have yet to pay. If that arrives, then a new midfielder could join, but it won’t happen otherwise.
