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How likely is Vitor Roque’s arrival for Barcelona in January?

By David Wyatt-Hupton

SANTOS, BRAZIL - JULY 02: Vitor Roque #39 of Athletico Paranaense celebrates after scoring the first goal of his team during a match between Palmeiras and Athletico Paranaense as part of Brasileirao Series A 2022 at Allianz Parque Stadium on July 02, 2022 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Photo by Alexandre Schneider/Getty Images)
SANTOS, BRAZIL - JULY 02: Vitor Roque #39 of Athletico Paranaense celebrates after scoring the first goal of his team during a match between Palmeiras and Athletico Paranaense as part of Brasileirao Series A 2022 at Allianz Parque Stadium on July 02, 2022 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Photo by Alexandre Schneider/Getty Images) /
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Robert Lewandowski’s injury has highlighted the need for forward reinforcements and Barcelona is working tirelessly to create the financial fair play space needed to sign Vitor Roque in January.

The signing of Vitor Roque was the marquee deal of the summer and while the agreement is firmly in place with contracts signed, it’s still unclear when he’ll arrive in Spain.

The goal for Barcelona is to have Roque, who’s currently injured, playing for the Blaugrana in January. His addition will allow Xavi to rest Lewandowski and rotate other forwards, keeping everyone fresh for what we hope to be a busy second half of the season.

Athletico Paranaense has already agreed that Roque can move clubs in January, but there is still one final hurdle to jump.

Will Barcelona have the financial fair play flexibility to sign Vitor Roque in January?

Under normal circumstances, the signing of Roque for a club the size of Barcelona would be a formality. The deal is for €30 million with €31 million in add-ons based on performance, but Barca is not currently working under normal circumstances.

A rush of injuries in midfield may cause them to prioritise a signing in the centre of the park, but even if Roque remains a priority they need to have the financial capability to sign the deal.

The first domino that has to fall is for Barcelona to receive payments from Libero and other fund companies outlined in the viability plan presented by Joan Laporta.

According to a report in SPORT, Barca have worked out that they need to generate €13-€14 million of salary cap space.

Convincing Frenkie de Jong to take a deferred renewal to extend his contract would open up space, but at the moment there are no concrete negotiations.

Selling a player would be another avenue, but with the squad already struggling based on its size, selling a player is likely not an option for Xavi.

So if a top player doesn’t defer salary, then it may be very difficult for Barca to squeeze Roque into the squad in January, despite what’s stated publically.

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