Brazilian striker Vitor Roque will join Spanish giants Barcelona in January after Club Athletico Paranaense announced on Saturday that the 18-year-old will play his final home game against Santos on Sunday before traveling to Europe.
Barca reached an agreement to sign Roque d’Athletico in July for €40 million plus €21 million in bonuses, with the signing of a seven-year contract.
Barcelona’s financial woes and non-compliance with La Liga’s Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules have hampered the club’s ability to land new signings over the past two seasons, and Roque’s is also unclear.
But as the club manages to create cap space due to midfielder Gavi’s long-term knee injury, they will be allowed to integrate Roque into their squad in January, giving Barca much-needed intensity from 36-year-old striker Robert. Lewandowski.
Roque, who was out for two months with an ankle injury, returned to action last weekend playing 26 minutes in a goalless draw against Vasco. On Friday against Cruzeiro he played forty-five minutes and scored his first goal since September.
A product of the same Cruzeiro academy that the former marvel Ronaldo Nazario came from, Roque joined Athletico at the start of 2022 and scored 28 goals in 80 appearances. Last year, he helped them reach the final of the Copa Libertadores.
He won his first international cap for Brazil in March, becoming the five-time world champion’s youngest debutant at 18 years and 25 days since the 17-year-old Ronaldo first played for Brazil in 1994.