La Liga heavyweights Barcelona have reportedly intensified the efforts to sign Vitor Roque, valued at around €40 million by Athletico Paranaese.

According to a report by French outlet Jeunes Footeux, Barcelona will look to obtain first priority on Vitor Roque. Athletico Paranaense will demand between €35 million and €40 million to part ways with the Brazilian prodigy.

Vitor Roque has come leaps and bounds since joining Athletico Paranaense last year. The teenage wonderkid had spent most of his formative years with Atletico Mineiro before going through a short stint with Cruzeiro. But the 17-year-old has risen to prominence at Athletico Paranaense.

The Brazilian prodigy enjoyed a solid 2022 season, amassing 14 goals and five assists in 51 appearances, scoring once every 180 minutes. And after an impressive campaign, several European bigwigs, including Barcelona, have set their sights on him.

Barcelona heavily pursued Endrick for much of 2022. But the high cost of funding his transfer forced the Blaugrana to pull the plug on a move. And bitter rival Real Madrid eventually beat FC Barcelona to Endrick’s signature. That has forced them to set their sights on alternatives as they seek a long-term successor to Robert Lewandowski.

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While Barcelona only signed Lewandowski last summer, the Polish striker is well into his thirties. So it behoves the Catalan outfit to lay down a succession plan for the former Bayern Munich talisman. And Vitor Roque has thus emerged on Barcelona’s radar. The issue for the Blaugrana is that the Brazilian prodigy is also a target for Real Madrid.

Another stumbling block for Barcelona will be Athletico Paranaense’s asking price. That is because the Brazilian giants want around €40 million to part ways with the 17-year-old. And considering Barcelona cannot afford that sum this year, they will look to secure first priority on a future move.

Also Read: Three in-house Robert Lewandowski alternatives for Barcelona

But that is a risky avenue to pursue as other reported suitors like Chelsea and Real Madrid can afford to pay €40 million to sign Vitor Roque. So it will be interesting to see if Barcelona can win the race to sign the teenage whizkid. For now, the Catalan giants seek first priority on the Brazilian prodigy.

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