Barcelona will consider signing 20-year-old Nigerian striker Gift Orban if they fail to secure the services of Vitor Roque.
According to a report by Spanish outlet SPORT, Gift Orban is the subject of interest from Barcelona. The Catalan giants view the 20-year-old in-form striker as a contingency option if they fail to sign Vitor Roque. They also have Atalanta attacker Rasmus Hojlund on their radar.
Gift Orban has only been in Europe for a year, having spent the early days of his career in his homeland. The Nigerian striker represented Bison FC before embarking on a short stint with Stabaek Fotball. And his career has moved to the next level since joining KAA Gent in January 2023.
The 20-year-old has been in tremendous form in the last few months, scoring goals for fun. And he has found the back of the net 14 times in 14 games thus far for Gent. The youngster’s progress has not gone unnoticed either, with Barcelona among his prospective suitors.
Barcelona will look to lay down a succession plan for Robert Lewandowski despite signing him last summer. The Polish striker is well into his thirties and approaching the final phase of his illustrious career. So it behoves Barcelona to plan for life after Lewandowski, even if his departure is a few years away.
Vitor Roque has thus emerged as the top target for Barcelona, with the Blaugrana making concerted efforts to secure his services. But signing the Brazilian wonderkid will be complicated due to Barcelona’s precarious financial situation. And the Catalan giants are hesitant to meet Athletico Paranaense’s asking price for the teenager.
So the Blaugrana must identify contingency options for Vitor Roque, with Gift Orban emerging as a target. The 20-year-old in-form striker is in the early days of his professional career in Europe. But signing him and loaning him to clubs where he will be the first-choice striker will help his progress.
The youngster, who has 14 goals in 14 games, will benefit from such exposure before becoming the first-choice striker. But Barcelona will still prefer to sign Vitor Roque if the financial situation permits it. And it will be interesting to see which youngster arrives at Spotify Camp Nou to bolster their attack.
