Barcelona are now reportedly closing in on several operations that they had planned for the summer and as they continue dealing with various departures and arrivals, a big goal in terms of the latter has reportedly been achieved to a great degree.
While the likes of Ilkay Gundogan and potentially the options for right back and the pivot position are still yet to be finalized keeping several factors in mind, the operation for a secondary striker is speculated to be very much on the right track to be completed soon.
As per the most recent report by SPORT, Barcelona have made significant progress in their pursuit of Brazilian side Athletico Paranaense’s 18-year-old talisman Vitor Roque, who the Catalan club has been following intently for quite some time now.
Willing to offer the Brazilian club €35 million as a transfer fee alongside variables, the Barcelona delegation for the transfer is being led by the club’s soon-to-be new Sports Director and ex-agent, Deco, while the other side of the negotiations is being led by Alexandre Mattos, Director of football at Athletico Paranaense and the player’s agent, Andre Cury.
Moreover, the player himself has devoted himself to Barcelona and has even made extra efforts to ensure there is an absolute priority towards the Catalan club, and the offers from the English Premier League are put on hold mainly because the player and his representatives are aware that Barcelona at the moment can not compete with the English sides in terms of financial ability.
However, while both the player and Barcelona are seemingly on the same page when it comes to his transfer, it is the player’s club, Athletico Paranaense, who have since increased their asking price to €45 million, as they believe that the player’s market value has increased given his suburb performances in the Under-20 South American Championship where the 18-year-old finished as both champion and top scorer.
Barcelona also continue to provide assurance to the player and his representatives that his registration will not end up being a problem and that the club will indeed be able to accommodate him within their current financial space and budget despite their well-documented economic struggles over recent times.
