BARCELONA
Barça could bring Vitor Roque this summer after Ousmane Dembélé's departure
The Catalan giants need more power in the attack and bringing the Brazilian rising star this summer to Barcelona is a real possibility.
Barcelona will be looking to have a successful 2023-24 season after winning the LaLiga and Spanish Super Cup titles last term.
This time, though, the Catalan giants will try to be more successful in Europe, as they were eliminated in the Champions League group stages and later on in the Europa League round of 32 knockout round.
After their pre-season tour in the US, where they lost to Arsenal (3-5), thrashed Real Madrid (3-0), and came out on top against AC Milan (1-0), Xavi Hernández’s men had the chance to get the competition rhythm back and face some of the best sides in Europe.
It was also a good opportunity for fans to see their latest additions in action, with Ilkay Gundogan and Oriol Romeu playing their first minutes as blaugranes.
íñigo Martínez hasn’t still played for Barcelona due to fitness issues, but the club hopes he will be ready shortly, while Vitor Roque was expected to join the club next January.
Roque, ready to move to Barcelona
Ousmane Dembélé's departure is a big blow for the Barcelona management, as he was one of the team’s main references and a special player in Xavi’s plans.
Now that Barcelona has received some cash for the French international, the Roque option is a possible one despite the LaLiga Finance Fair Play Rules limits and Roque wants to leave Club Athletico Paranaense to join Barcelona this summer, knowing the team needs more power up front.
The process could be faster than expected if Paranaense ends up being kicked out of the Copa Libertadores. The Brazilians lost their round of 16 first game to 16 to Bolivar (3-1).
However, even if the forward could land in Barcelona this summer and not next January, Xavi admitted the team needs more signings to be able to compete for all competitions next season and there are still players to be registered in LaLiga.
The situation means that if the club decides to go all in for Roque, they won’t be able to sign any new players in other positions (Bernardo Silva/Giovani Lo Celso, Joao Cancelo) for the upcoming term.