FC Porto best placed to sign Barcelona teenage prodigy – report | OneFootball

According to a report by Joaquim Piera in SPORT, FC Porto are currently the best-placed team to sign Barcelona forward Vitor Roque.

However, it’s important to understand the situation from Barcelona’s perspective. The sports management, along with head coach Hansi Flick, has always intended for Roque to develop under the guidance of star striker Robert Lewandowski.

Despite these plans, the future of the young Brazilian forward might be influenced more by financial considerations than by sporting ones.

The main issue here is registering the player. Even if everyone involved wants him to stay, they must comply with Financial Fair Play rules.

It must be noted that Roque was only registered during the last winter transfer window due to a special exception.

Barcelona, having surpassed their salary cap, managed to bring him in from Athletico Paranaense because they were allowed to replace the injured Gavi with Roque.

Barcelona juggling with Roque’s future

Vitor Roque is wanted by FC Porto. (Photo by PAU BARRENA/AFP via Getty Images)

Currently, this exception no longer applies. As a result, Barcelona are working hard to create enough space in their salary budget to include Roque and there is some optimism that they will succeed.

Given the uncertainty, the club is considering all possible scenarios, including the option to loan out Roque. Initially, this idea wasn’t well-received by either the player or his advisors.

His agent, Andre Cury, has repeatedly stated that if Roque were to leave, he would prefer a permanent sale. This way, Barcelona could recover their investment, as he fears a loan might reduce the player’s market value.

Deco likes FC Porto as an option

Interestingly, FC Porto showed early interest in signing Roque permanently, with Barcelona retaining an option to buy him back in the future.

In recent discussions between Barcelona’s sporting director Deco and FC Porto’s new president André Villas-Boas, they have only talked about a possible loan deal.

If Barcelona opts for this route, Porto would likely be Roque’s destination as Deco believes the Portuguese team is an ideal environment for young players to develop, citing his own career as proof.

However, Porto are not the only club interested in Roque as Atletico Madrid have also shown interest and suggested a potential player exchange.