Palmeiras will sign Vitor Roque from Barcelona in €25m deal no matter what – report | OneFootball

On Monday, Vitor Roque’s move from Real Betis, where he is on loan from Barcelona, to Palmeiras was expected to be finalised.

However, La Liga and the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) ended up blocking the transfer due to some bureaucratic issues as Real Betis cannot directly loan him to Palmeiras while he cannot return to Barcelona and be re-registered before being sold.

Barça have approached UEFA and FIFA seeking a resolution on the matter, with the club believing that there is precedent for such a move to take place.

Palmeiras will definitely sign Vitor Roque either now or in June

Late Monday night, reports emerged claiming that Palmeiras had broken off negotiations with Barcelona as the move stood no chance of being completed.

However, now, Joaquim Piera of SPORT claims that Vitor Roque will become a Palmeiras player no matter what.

The decision is final, as both Barcelona, who are keen to sell the forward, and Palmeiras have agreed to honour their verbal agreement of €25 million fee for 80% of the player’s economic rights.

What remains to be determined is whether the deal will be completed this week, before the Brazilian transfer window closes on Friday, or if both parties have to wait until June 1, when FIFA opens an extraordinary transfer window due to the Club World Cup.

Waiting for FIFA, UEFA response

As mentioned earlier, La Liga has stated that the transfer is not feasible because Barcelona cannot recall a loaned player while the transfer window in Spain is closed.

Roque will sign for Palmeiras, either now or in June. (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images)

However, the Blaugrana, Palmeiras, and Roque (with Real Betis playing only a minor role) are awaiting FIFA and UEFA’s response to an appeal based on the legal precedent set in 2024 in the ‘Pedro Lima case.’

In that instance, FIFA applied its ‘technical transfer’ principle, allowing Palmeiras, despite the Brazilian transfer window being closed, to recall a player loaned to an English club and immediately transfer him to a Croatian team.

If FIFA or UEFA rule in Barcelona’s favour, Roque will immediately leave Betis, who will not receive any compensation, and sign for Palmeiras.

If FIFA or UEFA do not support Barcelona’s case, Roque will have no choice but to remain at Real Betis until June.

Regardless of whether a formal pre-contract exists between Barcelona and Palmeiras securing his transfer for June 1, the Brazilian club have already assured both the player and the Blaugrana that they will not back out of the deal.

This means Barcelona can already count on the €25 million from the sale, which will be deposited into their accounts before the end of the current season, as the club insisted during negotiations.