FC Barcelona are well aware of the sporting difficulties that lie ahead of them in this summer and the following 2023/2024 season afterward, given that they have lost an unexpected asset in the form of a particular Frenchman.
Ousmane Dembele’s unforeseen move to French Ligue 1 outfit Paris Saint-Germain has left Barcelona in a rather tricky situation where they must now carefully assess which position they should reinvest in to better reinforce the team for the upcoming season.
While looking to then bring in top talents at both an offensive midfield position and at the right-back slot, Barcelona were simultaneously hoping to bring in a particular player already signed by them earlier than previously expected.
Barcelona had hoped to bring in 18-year-old Brazilian center-forward Vitor Roque this summer from current club Athletico Paranaense in the scenario that the Brazilian club was unable to overcome the Round of 16 stage in the Copa Libertadores where they are currently losing the first leg of their tie, a competition that was one of the primary reasons as to why they wished to hold on to Roque for longer.
However, as per the reliable Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, Athletico Paranaense continues to count on the Brazilian gem until December at the very least and hope for him to continue helping the team not just for this iteration of the Copa Libertadores but also, in general, to move forward within the upcoming edition of the tournament.
Moreover, the Brazilian club wants the 18-year-old to join FC Barcelona in January of next year as was originally planned for the very first game for the Catalans and does not wish for him to abruptly leave for the Spanish club this summer itself.
There are various issues that arise for the Brazilian outfit if their star striker ends up leaving this summer, and most of them are sporting disadvantages.
For starters, the Brazilian transfer window already concluded on the 31st of July and it now leaves Athletico Paranaense absolutely no chance of reinvesting the amount generated from the sale of Roque and they would be left without one of their most valuable assets in a sporting sense.
Moreover, the club will have to go on the rest of the season without their primary forward with whom they would have already made their strategic and structural sporting plans for this year until January if he decides to depart for Barcelona this August.
The situation will be a tough one to navigate, so it will be interesting to see how FC Barcelona tackle this issue to resolve any lingering problems and finalize an understanding with Athletico Paranaense before making their next move, whatever that may be.