Arsenal put pressure on Barcelona for £30m attacker amid Newcastle, Chelsea competition
Arsenal are refusing to back down from the battle to sign Athletico Paranaense striker Vitor Roque despite his apparent preference for Barcelona, per reports.
Roque has caught the attention of a few clubs in Europe after showing his potential in Brazil. Arsenal have regularly been featured in lists of his admirers. After the success of Gabriel Martinelli, they might be eyeing another attacking talent from the South American country.
Competition for Roque will be fierce, but according to the latest update from Mundo Deportivo, Arsenal are firmly still in contention for the teenager.
In order to sign him, they will have to meet his current club’s asking price of €35m, which would equate to approximately £30.4m.
As things stand, Roque and his agent seem to be leaning towards Barcelona, hence Mundo Deportivo‘s coverage of the case. However, scrutiny on the finances of La Liga’s champions means they might not be able to afford the deal.
Arsenal are in a better place to be able to do so, which means they could actually be ahead of Barcelona in the race for Roque.
However, Arsenal will still face serious competition from clubs like Chelsea, Newcastle and Paris Saint-Germain, each of whom should equally be able to fund a deal for Roque more easily than Barcelona.
Those four clubs are all putting ‘pressure’ on Barcelona in the bidding for Roque, whom Athletico Paranaense expect to cash in on in the summer.
Barcelona devise new Vitor Roque strategy
Alternatively, Barcelona could present a proposal to take Roque on loan with an obligation to buy him next year – as TEAMtalk has already revealed they could – which would allow them to spread out their spending.
However, Athletico Paranaense would still be hoping for some kind of payment up front. Unless Barcelona can convince them to drop their demands, that formula still might not be viable for Xavi’s side.
Arsenal could be a good alternative destination for Roque due to how Mikel Arteta has been developing some of the younger members of his squad.
The Premier League runners up could be looking for more competition in attack after falling short in their pursuit of the title. Along with Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus, Roque could add to a Brazilian theme.
Chelsea and Newcastle are other wealthy clubs in the Premier League, though, who will continue to be serious about adding to their squads for the long term.
Newcastle are hoping to join Arsenal in securing Champions League qualification for next season on Monday night, whereas Chelsea will be without European football altogether next season as the Mauricio Pochettino era begins.