Deco discloses actual cost of on-loan Barcelona forward and future intentions | OneFootball

In an interview with Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona’s Sporting Director, Deco, expressed his frustration over the treatment of Vitor Roque, a young striker who joined the club in January 2024.

Roque, who is currently on loan at Real Betis, has made a strong impact, scoring three goals in La Liga and two in the Copa del Rey and Deco did not hold back in his comments, shedding light on the harsh criticism Roque faced, which he felt was unjustified.

Unjustified criticism towards Roque

Roque, despite performing well and scoring goals at Betis, has admitted in the past that his time at Barcelona was tough.

Deco shared his disbelief over the intensity of the personal attacks aimed at the 18-year-old, describing them as both cruel and unfounded.

Vitor Roque is performing well at Real Betis. (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images)

He pointed out that such a severe attack on a young player was unheard of during his time at the club. Regardless, he felt that the criticism was excessive and without reason.

“He is doing well, he is scoring goals. Since I’ve known Barça I don’t remember such an ugly attack on a young player who came from outside as with Vitor Roque. Such an ugly and bad criticism.

“I don’t know where it came from, I don’t know if it’s an attack on me or on the club, but I don’t think there was ever a personal attack against an 18-year-old kid so strong and so ugly,” he said.

The criticism was completely misplaced, according to Deco, who was relieved to see Roque now enjoying his time at Betis, scoring goals and regaining confidence.

“I am happy for him that he is playing for Betis and is scoring goals and enjoying himself again. He’s a young man who has a lot of potential and is going to grow but I don’t remember an attack like that.”

How much did Barcelona actually pay for Roque?

Deco reveals the price Barcelona paid for Roque. (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images)

The conversation also touched on the financial aspect of Roque’s transfer. Despite the reports suggesting that Roque cost around €60 million, Deco clarified that the actual transfer fee was €30 million, with additional variables tied to performance milestones.

“He cost €30 million, plus variables that he has not fulfilled, as it is normal because we have not won titles yet, and he has not played a percentage of games,” he explained.

He acknowledged that Roque faced challenges when he first arrived, particularly due to his recovery from injury. Deco believes that the initial struggles were compounded by the lack of a proper plan for his integration into the team.

“He arrived in January after being injured before coming; maybe he wasn’t in the right shape when he arrived, and he went straight to play in Barbastro and in Arabia without a proper plan.”

Will Roque come back?

Looking ahead, Deco was non-committal about Roque’s future at Barcelona, stating that the primary concern for the young player was simply to get playing time.

Barcelona are not counting on Roque’s return. (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images)

“We don’t make any plans. The most important thing for him was to play. Vitor’s plan was to come this season and, if he couldn’t be registered due to fair play, to give him a season’s playing time.

“He came in January because the coach asked for it with Gavi’s injury.

The initial plan was for Roque to play this season and, if necessary, be loaned out for further development if there were issues with registration due to salary cap constraints.

“Vitor’s plan remains the same as before, it has not changed. If there was no ‘fair play’, and as he was not one of the priority players to sign, he was going to look for a loan so that he could continue to grow in a club in LaLiga or another league.”

In the end, Deco expressed that his early arrival, although controversial, was not rushed, as Roque had contributed to the team when he arrived, scoring key goals and adding depth to the squad.

“He was an already signed player who was brought in because there was fair play due to Gavi’s injury. I don’t think there was any haste,” he concluded.