Arsenal, Chelsea best positioned to sign €45-50m Barcelona attacking target

 It is no secret that Barcelona are intent on securing the services of Athletico Paranaense and Brazil prodigy Vitor Roque in the summer.

The teenage striker has emerged as one of the Blaugrana’s top attacking targets heading into the summer after enjoying a fine breakthrough year in Brazil in 2022.

Having turned 18 in February, Roque is eligible to leave Brazil for Europe this summer and has attracted interest from a plethora of clubs apart from Barcelona. Indeed, the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and PSG are some of the other suitors chasing the centre-forward.

And according to reports in England, as relayed by SPORT, Barcelona are currently trailing Arsenal and Chelsea in the race for Roque, with the two Premier League giants best positioned to sign the Brazilian wonderkid.

Barcelona see Roque as a perfect signing for the club in the short and the long term. The 18-year-old can operate as Robert Lewandowski’s understudy for a couple of years, learn from him and develop his game before taking over as the first-choice striker.

Roque, for his part, has made it clear that he wants to sign for Barcelona in the summer as well. However, as reported by Fabrizio Romano recently, Athletico Paranaense will demand a fee of around €45-50 million.

It puts Barça at a disadvantage as they are dealing with Financial Fair Play issues and are not in a position to match that valuation at the moment. However, that figure will not be an issue for either Arsenal or Chelsea, which gives them an edge in pursuit of the youngster.

Meanwhile, the report names Newcastle United as a suitor as well, although their chances of signing Roque are said to be significantly less.

Roque’s father and agent have been visiting clubs over the past few weeks and have held talks with Arsenal, Chelsea, and Barcelona as well.

While the player and his camp want a move to Camp Nou, Athletico Paranaense will listen to the best proposal.

But the Blaugrana are not throwing in the towel yet and are studying various possibilities to sign Roque, including a possible loan deal with a mandatory purchase option. They are also considering closing a deal for him this summer but postponing his arrival to 2024