Barcelona set to confirm Vitor Roque signing despite late interest

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Barcelona set to confirm Vitor Roque signing despite late interest

Barcelona are ready to announce the signing of teenage forward Vitor Roque from Athletico Paranaense, sources have confirmed to 90min.

The Catalan giants have agreed a deal worth €40m for the 18-year-old, who made his senior international debut for Brazil in March, but don't intend for him to arrive at Camp Nou until 2024.

There had been suggestions that Athletico were not prepared to wait until next year, instead pushing Barcelona to complete the transfer this summer. 90min understands that remains an option if last season's La Liga winners can generate cash through player sales, but the move will otherwise go through as planned.

Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea and Bayern Munich all made contact with Athletico, 90min further understands, to ascertain whether a deal was still there to be done, but Roque has long decided that he wants to join Barcelona.

Roque has agreed a contract until 2028 and is scheduled to link up with Barcelona in January, which could provide Xavi with some much needed firepower for the second half of next season.

Barcelona anticipate having cleared space on their wage bill by that point, with a number of players on the chopping block this summer as president Joan Laporta looks to balance the club's delicate financials.

"I hope he will become my teammate at Barcelona. We're talking about a high quality football player. He'd help Barca a lot," Brazil international team-mate Raphinha recently said of Roque - ironically the winger could be one of the players ushered out of the door if a suitable bid is received.

Raphinha wants to stay at Barcelona for the long-term, as does Ferran Torres, but sources have confirmed to 90min that the club are in no position to turn down offers if they come in. Ansu Fati is in a similar situation while Ousmane Dembele, who is a player Xavi considers to be 'untouchable', may also see his future analysed interest from Paris Saint-Germain.

As for Roque, he has already helped Brazil win the South American Under-20s Championship, and was also named in the 2022 Copa Libertadores Team of the Tournament.