Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
Marc Mayo

Barcelona chief confirms £25m Vitor Roque deal as Arsenal and Manchester United miss out

Barcelona sporting director Deco has confirmed the LaLiga giants’ imminent deal for Brazilian wonderkid Vitor Roque.

The 18-year-old is set to move from Athletico Paranense for an intiial fee of £25million after Barcelona fought off reported interest from Arsenal and Manchester United.

“Of course I’m satisfied, he is a very good player,” he told Spanish newspaper Sport.

Centre-forward Roque has hit 15 goals in 30 games this season while helping Brazil to the South American Under-20 Championship, before making his full international debut.

Barcelona signing the teenage sensation follows their disappointment in the race to land Arda Guler, the Turkish youngster who last week joined Real Madrid.

The LaLiga champions have already added Inigo Martinez and Ilkay Gundogan on free transfers this summer, with Roque’s agent speaking highly of this soon-to-be confirmed deal.

Andre Cury told Globo: “Every negotiation is complicated, especially for a player of this calibre. There were other interested parties. But Vitor always had his head turned to Barcelona.

“He wanted to follow the Brazilians who passed through Barcelona; Rivaldo, Romario, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, who were the best in the world there. And Neymar, who was not the best in the world, but was in the top three and was champion in the Champions League.

“I had been talking to Deco for a year. And we have now implemented [the deal]. We chose the best project for Vitor Roque to be among the best in the world.

“I would like to thank Barcelona, the president, Xavi, everyone for their trust. They got it right. They’re going to have a very high-level player for the next few years.”

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.