Arsenal are reportedly looking to land Brazilian’s Vitor Roque from Athletico Paranaense and are best positioned to land him.
Arsenal is reportedly leading the race to sign Brazilian wonderkid Vitor Roque, who has attracted interest from several major European clubs, including Barcelona. The 18-year-old rising star currently plays for Athletico Paranaense, where he signed a five-year contract last April for a fee of €4.7 million.
Roque has already made an impressive impact on the pitch, scoring ten goals and providing three assists in 40 appearances for Athletico. He was recently rewarded with his maiden cap for the Brazilian national team, an outstanding achievement for such a young player. He played 25 minutes against Morocco in a friendly earlier this month, after being handed his senior debut by Brazil interim manager Ramon Menezes.
According to Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo , Arsenal has established themselves as the club ‘best positioned’ to land the young attacker, with Premier League clubs reportedly accelerating contacts during the international break. Barcelona’s ‘Operation Vitor Roque’ is not progressing, due to the Catalan club’s financial issues. Although Roque is ‘determined’ to play for Barcelona, a move to England is said to be more ‘realistic’ for him.
Roque’s representatives and father are currently in London to discuss a potential move with Arsenal, but they will also visit Barcelona to ‘calibrate the possibilities’ of joining the La Liga giants. Despite Barcelona’s interest in the player, their financial problems have caused them to ‘cool’ their pursuit, leaving Arsenal with a clearer path to signing the talented Brazilian.
Arsenal’s director of football, Edu Gaspar, has reportedly been in contact with Roque’s representatives for months and is said to be working on the deal to bring him to the Emirates Stadium.
If Arsenal is successful in their pursuit of Roque, it could be a significant coup for the club and a sign of their ambitions to secure the brightest young talents in world football.