The 5 reasons Barcelona are pursuing Brazilian starlet over others | OneFootball

Barcelona have been looking longingly at Real Madrid’s business in Brazil in recent years, having tried to tempt both Vinicius Junior and Endrick Felipe to Catalonia before they joined Los Blancos. However they now have their sights set on another Brazilian striker.

Atletico Paranaense forward Vitor Roque is one of the more impressive prospects in Brazil. Catching the eye in the Brazilian youth ranks and playing regularly in Serie A, he has been settled upon as an investment by Barcelona. Sport have detailed five reasons why.

Part of his appeal is that he is already cutting his teeth in the senior game. Already he has 52 appearances to his name, playing at perhaps the highest level in South America. With the Brazilian under-20 side, he also have 5 of Brazil’s 9 goals in the under-20 Copa America. Some are tipping him to be part of the senior squad by 2026, when he will be 21 years of age.

Obviously, for a forward, a certain goalscoring instinct is key and Roque has shown he has that. Capable of finding room in the box and getting on the end of crosses, he is shows some the classic traits of a nine.

Yet Roque is not afraid to move out of central areas either. Capable of playing out wide, even if his preferred position is through the middle, Roque is versatile enough to work well across the final third.

Another aspect that stands out about him is his character. Roque faces challenges head on and the Catalan daily mentions the fact that little quarter is given in Latin football, regardless of age. Roque has the mentality to battle through that treatment and continues to seek the ball.

Finally, he has the quality to be world class. The idea is that he would come in and either play off Robert Lewandowski or back him up. The Polish marksman is the perfect nine to learn from for any young player and Barcelona believe that one day Roque could reach that sort of level.

The figure mentioned is around €30m. Depending on the when and the how, that could prove a problematic amount. Other top sides such as Manchester United, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain have been linked to Roque and will likely be able to offer more money and more money up front to Atletico PR. Crucial for Barcelona will be persuading him that Camp Nou is the place to be.