Real Betis are in advanced talks with Barcelona over the loan signing of striker Vitor Roque.
The two clubs are working on a one-year loan, which would include the option of a second year and an option to buy.
Final details are in the process of being discussed, with the expectation to reach an agreement in the coming days. Roque is no longer training with Barcelona with an expectation that the deal will be finalised.
Betis executives travelled to Barcelona this week to speak with Roque in person, and this played an important role in him trusting the Betis project and the role he can play at the club.
The Athletic reported Barcelona were working on finding a new destination for Roque as he is not part of Hansi Flick’s immediate plans.
The 19-year-old joined Barcelona’s first-team squad in January from Athletico Paranaense, where he scored 28 goals in 81 appearances, after the Catalan club agreed a €30million deal to sign him in the summer of 2023. He had initially been set to join the club in the summer of 2024, but that plan was accelerated following a series of first-team injuries.
He featured in 16 matches for Barcelona during the second half of last season, although just two of those were as a starter, and scored two goals.
Roque is yet to be registered with La Liga by Barcelona and was only able to play last season as he took up the injured Gavi’s space in the budget.
The Brazil international was behind Robert Lewandowski in the pecking order in the second half of the 2023-24 campaign, while forward Pau Victor has joined Barcelona’s first-team squad on a permanent basis after scoring 20 goals for their B team last season on loan from Girona, and Ferran Torres is an option as central striker.
Roque also received approaches from clubs in the Saudi Pro League, but Barca expected him to stay in Europe.
He will become the eighth signing of the summer for La Liga side Betis, following on from Marc Roca, Romain Perraud, Diego Llorente, Iker Losada, Ricardo Rodriguez, Adrian and Natan.
Betis have prioritising the arrival of a new striker after selling Willian Jose to Spartak Moscow and loaning Borja Iglesias to Celta Vigo.
Barcelona began their season with victory over Valencia, while Betis drew with Girona.
GO DEEPER
Vitor Roque at Barcelona: What’s gone wrong with €30m striker they rushed to sign?
What’s gone wrong for Roque at Barcelona?
Analysis from Pol Ballus
Barcelona have a recent history of missing out on Brazilian wonderkids. The list includes Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo and most recently Endrick. Roque’s signing was seen by some at Barca as a great chance to make amends.
What happened on the pitch contrasted significantly with the image that had been sold to fans.
Sources from the coaching staff admitted back then that the teenager was having a difficult time understanding the dynamics of Barca’s game. This view was shared by a broad range of dressing-room sources who had witnessed him in training. They said he struggled to keep up with the team’s rhythm and with the technical side especially, a crucial feature of Barcelona’s style.
This, in part, was far from Roque’s fault. He had always been a physical player who managed to make his way to the top through resilience and goalscoring instinct. A forward who had his best moments in the opposition’s box, but one you would never highlight for his all-round game or combinations with team-mates.
The reality is that, at a critical time for the club, Barcelona had invested over €30million on a player which some senior figures at the club clearly did not know enough about — and then agreed to advance his arrival in Barcelona with a level of expectations that the player clearly could not cope with.
(Pedro Salado/Getty Images)
