Vitor Roque won’t join Barcelona in January

Bad news for Barcelona. One of their six signings for the new season, Vitor Roque, was expected to join the Catalan giants in January 2024, as agreed with Club Athletico Paranaense, but that won’t happen.

The arrival of Roque was seen as a very positive addition to Xavi Hernández’s team, especially after Ousmane Dembélé's unexpected departure to Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the preseason.

Although Joao Felix ended up signing for Barcelona on loan, Barcelona’s attacking line will be without Ansu Fati, one of the most promising La Masia players. The 20-year-old player wasn’t having many minutes after the breakthrough of Lamine Yamal, while Ferran Torres seems to have recovered the confidence he was lacking last campaign.

However, the arrival of Vitor Roque was seen as a powerful player that would strengthen the roster to compete at the highest level in LaLiga and the Champions League.

Barcelona’s financial issues postpone Roque’s arrival

The club agreed to a €40 million deal with Athletico Paranese to sign the young forward, whose arrival was expected for the beginning of 2024.

However, Barcelona don’t have enough salary space to make it possible and have been placed under restrictions by La Liga due to their economic problems.

According to Spanish media Relevo, Barça’s salary cap has been reduced from €648 million to €270 million.

The only chance to see Roque as Blaugrana in January is if the club manages to sell a player or get to an economic deal that would make that possible.

O Tigrinho, considered one of the best young talents in the world, has scored 27 goals and 11 assists in 77 games across all competitions. He was the top scorer at the South American U20 Championships for Brazil, with six goals in five matches.