Barcelona have confirmed the signing of Brazilian teenager Vitor Roque, who will sign a seven-year contract with the Catalan giants.
The deal is regarded as something of a coup in Barcelona, who fought off interest from Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United in recent months in order to secure their man. The deal is thought to be worth around €61m in total, should all of the variables be met. However only €30m of that is a fixed fee, and Roque will only join the club next season as things stand, as they are unable to fit him within their salary limit until then.
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Roque is being signed as their long-term replacement for Robert Lewandowski. Although the Polish hitman was top scorer in Spain last season, he is already 34 years of age. In light of their stretched finances, it has been made a priority at Barcelona to get Roque through the door, feeling that it could be some time before they are able to spend big on a replacement for Lewandowski when the time comes.
Already capped by Brazil, the 18-year-old has scored 22 goals and given 9 assists for his current club Athletico Paranaense in just 68 appearances. Five of those goals have come in the Copa Libertadores, in just 13 appearances, and alongside future Real Madrid striker Endrick Felipe, Roque is tipped to lead the line for the Selecao in the coming decade.
