The reason why Barcelona are reluctant to let go of Vitor Roque this summer | OneFootball

In recent weeks, Vitor Roque’s future at Barcelona has been under the microscope to an extreme extent. The 19-year-old has struggled during his first five months in Catalonia, having been seemingly unfancied by former manager Xavi Hernandez. The club’s sporting department also doubts whether he should continue next season.

The idea of Roque leaving on loan has been floated, as this would allow him to play regularly next season – he would be behind Robert Lewandowski in the pecking order, and also possibly Ferran Torres/Marc Guiu. Porto are showing the most interest.

Diario AS say that part of Barcelona’s transfer planning will be determined by whether or not Roque leaves. He’s not currently registered with La Liga for next season, so sufficient FFP space would need to be generated. However, this isn’t a priority for now, as new signings along with the registrations with Gavi and Alejandro Balde are considered more important.

Despite this, Barcelona intend to keep Roque. One of the main reasons for this is to do with the perceived view of his transfer if he were to leave on loan, as club officials believe that it would be considered a small failure if he departs so soon after joining, given the massive outlay (€30m initial fee that could rise to €61m) made to sign him.