FC Barcelona has made official what was already an open secret weeks ago, the signing of the young Brazilian striker Vitor Roque until the 2030-31 season. In the absence of knowing if he will join the Blaugrana first team in January, Xavi Hernández’s wish, or in June 2024, which would be more realistic taking into account the financial fair play conditions, the club has not yet disclosed the details of the operation but the termination clause: 500 million euros.
International for Brazil at the age of 18 and a player for Athletico Paranaense, Vítor Roque fits in as a replacement for the future of Robert Lewandowski, for whom at 34 (35 next August) the club must prepare a succession plan. The idea is that both players, center forwards although with different profiles, live together for a couple of seasons so that the youngest soaks up the knowledge of the experienced Polish attacker.
Assuming that Roque is one of the most striking promises of Brazilian soccer, the economic chapter is the one that has raised the most controversy regarding the signing. In the middle of the financial crisis and with Xavi asking above all for a quality midfielder for his squad, Roque will finally be the highest investment in the summer market, although he will not compute for the purposes of the salary bill until he is registered. The Barça coach, yes, has given the go-ahead to the reinforcement, considers that he is a player with great potential and a Barça profile.
The figure of Roque’s representative, André Cury, linked as an employee to FC Barcelona in Brazil for many years and a key factor in signings such as Neymar but also in other ruinous ones (the last Matheus Fernandes, who barely played and ended up suing the club for unfair dismissal), has also generated controversy.
Roque, nicknamed ‘tigrinho’ in his country, is the third signing this summer announced by Barça after Gündogan and Iñigo Martínez, coming respectively from Manchester City and Athletic Club and with zero transfer cost in both cases when they arrive free.
