Barcelona have confirmed the signing of 18-year-old Brazilian forward Vitor Roque from Brazilian Serie A side Club Athletico Paranaense for a fee of around €40 million.
The player is expected to join Barcelona for the 2024/25 season and will sign a six-year contract that will expire at the end of the 2030/31 season with a buyout clause of €500 million.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta has said that Roque’s long wait to join his teammates this summer is due to the club’s financial restrictions.
On their website, Barcelona have described Roque as “a versatile forward versatile centre forward who is still in development, but his adaptability means he can also play on the wing should the situation require. An excellent reader of the game he also stands out for his pace and his finishing skills in front of goal.”
Roque becomes Barca’s third signing this summer following the arrivals of free agents Ilkay Gundogan from Manchester City and Inigo Martinez from Athletic Bilbao after the expiration of their respective contracts.
Roque has made more than 50 league appearances since his debut with Cruzeiro aged just 16. At the start of this year, the teenager won the golden boot after emerging top scorer with six goals for Brazil in the South American U20 tournament.
He has scored 22 goals in 65 appearances for Athletico and according to ESPN, Laporta said Barcelona expect nothing but goals from him.
“Goals. He very much has his own style. You can’t really compare him with [retired Brazil strikers] Ronaldo or Romario. He is someone that is deadly with both feet inside the box. He is different to what we have had here before. If you had to compare him to anyone, it would be Ronaldo [de Lima], who was a force of nature with us.” Laporta said.
Barcelona hope he can carry on scoring goals when he joins the club as a replacement or backup for Robert Lewandowski.
