Thirteen months after joining Barcelona from Athletico Paranaense, Vitor Roque is se to leave Spanish football in order to return to Brazil. He will do so on a permanent basis, with Palmeiras having agreed a deal to sign the 19-year-old striker.
Vitor Roque to Palmeiras, here we go! Deal now in place between all parties as Real Betis just approved the move.
Barcelona will receive €25m plus €5m and sell-on clause, Betis will get higher rights for Ez Abde as compensation.
🐅 Roque signs 5 year deal at Palmeiras.
Roque has had a turbulent time in Spain. He arrived at Barcelona last January with lots of promise, but he struggled to make any impact during the second half of last season. Because of this, the decision was taken before the start of the current campaign that he would have to leave, and he did so by joining Real Betis on loan.
However, Roque also struggled at the Benito Villamarin despite a promising start. In recent weeks, he has found himself behind fellow strikers Cucho Hernandez and Cedric Bakambu in the pecking order, and because of this, Palmeiras sensed an opportunity to sign him immediately.
The negotiation process has been difficult for all clubs. Barcelona accepted an offer worth €25.5m from Palmeiras, but in order for the deal to progress, they had to receive approval from Betis to cancel his loan. Los Verdiblancos wanted compensation for this, and they have now got it as MD have reported that Barcelona given them 30% more of Ez Abde’s rights, taking them to 80%.
There was also pushback from La Liga and the Spanish Football Federation, but after FIFA gave their approval for a deal to take place, the other two establishments did so too, As such, an agreement is total, and on Friday, Roque will travel to Brazil to sign a five-year contract with Palmeiras.
The Roque episode has been a disappointing one for Barcelona, but they will be glad to have walked away having just about broken even. They will now look to use the money that they will be receiving as part of their transfer plans for the summer.