Barcelona lead race to sign Brazilian wonderkid Vitor Roque
Barcelona are leading the race to sign Under-20 South American Championship winner Vitor Roque from Athletico Paranaense, 90min understands.
The 17-year-old caught the eye at the Under-20 South American Championships, scoring an impressive six goals in eight appearances as a mightily talented Brazil won the competition in February. At club level with Athletico Paranaense, Vitor Roque has already scored 14 goals too.
Vitor Roque is well known as being one of the better 'wonderkids' on Football Manager 2023 due to his ruthlessness in front of goal at such a tender age.
The youngster's form (in real life...not FM23) has led to a number of top European clubs taking an interest in signing the forward in the near future, with sources telling 90min that Barcelona currently lead the race for his signature.
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Speaking to the press this week, Athletico Paranaense president Celso Petraglia admitted the club cannot afford to keep hold of their prized asset for much longer.
"There's a race on top of Vitor Roque," he said. "We cannot afford to pay what the Europeans pay. We've already received calls and offers, but they didn't reach our number. It's still a long way off."
As well as Barça, Manchester United, Arsenal, West Ham United and Newcastle United are all interested in Vitor Roque.