The agent of Vitor Roque, Andre Cury, has threatened an exit from Barcelona in the near future if the striker does not get enough minutes.
There has been plenty of chatter in recent times about Vitor Roque, the exciting youngster who joined Barcelona in January. There are some underlying questions about why he has not been getting enough minutes under his belt, as he has spent the last three games on the bench as an unused substitute.
Roque joined the Catalan outfit in a €30 million deal, with another €31 million in add-ons. Are there elements of immediate payments to Athletico Paranaense should he bag a specific amount of minutes before the season ends, or is it about actual performance and training levels? Things look murky for the 19-year-old in Catalonia.
His agent is far from pleased with the treatment received by the teenager, and now he has issued a hands-down warning to Barcelona ahead of the summer window. His representative, Andre Cury, has insisted that Roque has to work harder but believed he deserves plenty of minutes than what he has been getting in recent times, while directly implicating Xavi Hernandez as the main reason for it.
Cury also warned Barcelona that he might consider the option of leaving Barcelona permanently in the summer should his situation remain unchanged. He also ruled out a loan move, as he suggested via his comments that appeared on 90min that Roque would only consider a permanent move out of the club.
Cury said, “I think Vitor Roque has to have more minutes. “Nobody understands why they’re not giving him that. Xavi has never spoken to the player; I don’t understand it. [Roque] has to work and work harder, and wait for the opportunities, but I believe there were already many, many games in which those minutes could have been given, so we wouldn’t need to be talking about this issue today.”
“We have spoken with Deco. The boy has a contract with Barca, but we had other options for double the money; he chose this because he wanted to play for Barcelona. I’m sure that Vitor is going to be a great player, but if Barca doesn’t let him, then we have to find another way.”
“A loan? No. Either the player stays to be given minutes to prove himself or, if the club decides that he cannot remain, he is going to be sold. There are many interested teams. I do not know what is going to happen. The club have never told me anything. In my opinion, they can give him more minutes. Xavi gives them to Fermin [Lopez], [Pau] Cubarsi, Lamine [Yamal] but not Vitor. I don’t know how to explain it. They conceded many goals against Girona and Real Madrid.”
In recent weeks, some clubs have already been looking at the idea of bringing Roque. Some La Liga sides are linked with loan moves, which might not be the worst idea considering the 19-year-old still needs to set base in Spain by playing regularly.
Roque remains uninterested in a loan move and will look for options to sign him on a permanent basis. Manchester United have been linked, and they might even consider signing the Brazilian, as they have been looking for a young player to support and compete with Rasmus Hojlund ahead of the summer.
For now, Barcelona consider the Manchester United target a sound investment for the future and will likely address the comments made by Cury. They might make amends, as they feel the 19-year-old can have a significant impact at the club, and he does have a bright future.
