It has not been the easiest of starts to life at FC Barcelona for teenage forward Vitor Roque. Arriving from Athletico Paranaense in January, the 19-year-old has found minutes hard to come by under Xavi Hernandez.
Even though the youngster has shown some positive attributes and even scored a couple of goals, game-time has not been forthcoming.
As such, there has been talk of Roque fearing the possibility of being loaned out by Barcelona next season so that he can play regularly and develop.
Roque will not leave, says agent
However, Roque’s agent, Andre Cury has made it abundantly clear that Vitor Roque will not be leaving Barcelona in the summer, either on loan or permanently, especially with a number of clubs still interested in him.
It must be remembered that Barça beat a plethora of top European teams like Chelsea, Arsenal, and PSG, among others, to sign Roque last year.
The Catalans secured his services from Athletico in a deal worth €30 million fixed fee and another €31 million in add-ons.
And Cury clarified that neither the player nor the club is considering any sort of separation, temporary or permanent, in the near future.
“Vitor is very happy at Barça and there’s no chance for a loan. He’s very good physically and mentally, and he is waiting for more minutes to prove it on the field. Xavi loves him very much,” Cury said, as quoted by Fabrizio Romano.
“The truth is that there is a queue of clubs ready to pay €50 million even now for Vitor Roque. Vitor will not go anywhere even if he is loaned out. He is determined to succeed at Barça,” he added.
Despite there being talk of a potential loan exit, not only the player but Barcelona themselves have decided not to consider such a possibility.
The plan is for Roque to continue his adaptation at Barcelona for the remainder of the season and start afresh next campaign.
