Roque opens door to January move with 'dream' admission

Manchester United are among the clubs to be monitoring Palmeiras striker Vitor Roque, who has been catching the eye of scouts since his return to Brazil from Barcelona

Vitor Roque has revealed that it is a “dream” of his to return to a top European club, despite his failure to settle at Barcelona. Roque has returned to Brazil after his move to Barca didn’t work out, but is now attracting attention from Premier League big-hitters, including Manchester United.

The 20-year-old striker joined Barca in the summer of 2023 from Athletico Paranaense before moving that winter and making his debut in January 2024. But he struggled to make an impression under manager Xavi Hernandez and his fortunes didn’t turn under successor Hansi Flick, as he spent the 2024/25 season on loan with Real Betis.

In February, he took the decision to return to Brazil with Palmeiras, who paid a Brazilian record fee of £22million, and has re-found his form, contributing 16 goals and three assists in 30 league appearances to earn a recall to the national team. But he may not stay in his home country for long, with reports suggesting that United, Chelsea and Tottenham are monitoring his situation.

Earlier this month, his agent said he was bracing himself for offers around €50m (£44m) in the January transfer window. And it seems that, while he is enjoying his time at Palmeiras, Roque has ambitions to return to Europe.

Speaking about his move to Barcelona while on international duty, he said: “It wasn’t about money, no. I have between 10 and 15 years left in my career, God willing. It’s not the time to think about that. But of course, when I left, I had a career plan for myself. Every athlete dreams of playing for a club like Barcelona, one of the best clubs in the world. It’s a dream.”

He added: “It’s also a dream to return to Europe, to adapt. God willing, I’ll continue doing my job at Palmeiras, because that’s my goal today, and in the future I’ll return to Europe.”

Speaking earlier this month, Roque’s agent, Andre Cury, said: “Today we're receiving a barrage of calls from European clubs, mainly Premier League and Italian clubs. They're calling to ask about the price and terms, but we're in the middle of the season.

“We already had an offer from the Arab world of 35 million euros, which wasn't of interest, and now we're going to get a proposal in the region of 50 million euros from the Premier League.”

He added: “The plan was to come back here, get strong again, and also study the market. If a good offer comes along for everyone and they understand that he has to leave, he's open to listening, but he's very happy at Palmeiras.”

Manchester United spent £200m on players in the summer, with three of their four additions coming in attack where Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo arrived. They are understood to be prioritising a central midfielder as their next addition.