Vitor Roque sends message to fans before setting off for Barcelona

Vitor Roque had a message for Barcelona fans as he prepares to board a flight to join up with his new club.

Barcelona agreed to a deal worth up to £52m to sign the 18-year-old striker during the summer and spent the past six months working with La Liga's Financial Fair Play rules to work out whether Roque could be formally registered in January or not.

After finding room to secure Roque's signature immediately, Barcelona began teasing his arrival on social media before the Brazilian spoke in a video of his own.

"Culers, see you very soon," he told Barcelona fans on Tuesday.

Roque arrived at an airport later in the day and is set to board a flight which will land in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Reports suggest Roque will be granted two days to adjust to life in Spain before reporting for duty with Barcelona on Friday, where he will meet new manager Xavi.

"He’s a hope for the team," Xavi said of Roque earlier this month. "He’s a very good signing and I think he can contribute a lot to us. So many positive things come to mind, I don’t have time to think about the alternative. Work, goals, sacrifice...he’s a player that attacks the space.

"We cannot put pressure on Vitor Roque or young people like Lamine [Yamal]. They have to go step by step. We have to take a step forward as a team. We need to make the difference, we lack effectiveness in the areas. The lack of effectiveness has weighed on us in many games. If we want to turn things around in La Liga, we need to improve there."

Roque will provide immediate competition for 35-year-old Robert Lewandowski, who has faced immense criticism from supporters after failing to match his lofty standards in front of goal this season.

Having struck 23 La Liga goals in 34 games last year, Lewandowski has eight in 16 this time around and has scored in just two matches since September.

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