Barcelona forward Vitor Roque looks as if he will not be adding to his handful of minutes that he gained last season for the Catalan giants, as the Blaugrana look for an exit.
It lokos as if that will likely be a loan move this summer, with few clubs looking to shell out similar money to what Barcelona spent on the 19-year-old. While both Porto and Lazio have been heavily linked with Roque, neither has made a serious move for the Brazilan.
It was revealed on Sunday that Bournemouth were one of the sides interested in taking Roque on, while Sport now say that Everton are one of the other sides that have shortlisted the teenage striker. The Catalan daily say that Everton have good relations with agent Andre Cury, and Bournemouth have just successfully negotiated a deal with Barcelona for Julian Araujo, and have just sold forward Dominic Solanke.
Barcelona are trying to thread the needle though. They are supposedly intent on recovering the money spent on him, and are less keen on one of the loan offers they have received, for fear that bad year could see his value plummet. They hope to have news on his future this week, but the player will be the one who has the final say on his destination, having rejected an offer in Saudi Arabia already.
Other reports suggest Barcelona are keen to retain control of Roque’s situation too, presumably through a sell-on fee or a buyback clause, having made such a large investment in him. Brought in ahead of schedule, currently his signing is being used as a stick to beat President Joan Laporta and Sporting Director Deco with.