Barcelona reach agreement with Athletico PR to sign Vitor Roque | OneFootball

Barcelona have reached an agreement with Athletico Paranaense to sign wonderkid Vitor Roque, according to AS.

The Brazilian has caught the eye in his homeland and is one of the most sought-after players in South America, with Barca fending off interest from several European clubs, including Chelsea, Arsenal and AC Milan.

Barca’s technical director Deco Deco reportedly played a pivotal role in closing the deal with the striker.

His knowledge of the Brazilian market, and good relationship with Roque’s agent, Andre Cury, have been decisive in making the highly anticipated transfer happen.

The 18-year-old will be Barca’s first acquisition in the summer market after reaching an agreement over a five-year contract with the Spanish champions.

However, the move will only be made official when Barca free up enough space in their wage bill to register the player, with the club expected to sell several first-team members this summer.

Barca will fork out €40m in transfer fees which is reportedly expected to be paid in three instalments. But the deal cannot be officially sanctioned by La Liga until the Catalan giants sell at least three players.

Roque is widely regarded as the future of Barca’s attack, although he would have to play as a back-up to Robert Lewandowski, who is approaching the latter stages of his career.

The 34-year-old is still performing at a high level after racking up 33 goals and setting up eight in 46 appearances for the Blaugranas in his debut campaign.

He scored 23 times for Xavi Hernandez’s side in the Spanish top flight to win the top scorer award while helping them win the La Liga title for the first time since 2018/19.

With Roque set to join, Barca have sorted their striking department for years to come, with the Brazilian already proving a handful, having scored 23 goals and set up nine in 77 top-flight appearances.