Barcelona given 24-hour Vitor Roque ULTIMATUM as Man Utd circle

Tom Weber

• Updated: 6 Jul 2023 21:03 BST
• 3 min read

Athletico Paranaense have given Barcelona a 24-hour ultimatum to complete the Vitor Roque deal, according to Spanish media.

The Catalans have been working on a transfer for the Brazilian wonderkid for months, but nothing has as yet materialised as there is still uncertainty about whether the Blaugrana can register the 18-year-old immediately or whether they will only be able to bring him in next year.

This is due to their ongoing financial issues. While the free transfer signings of Ilkay Gundogan and Inigo Martinez have already been completed, the deal for Vitor Roque, which could rise to as much as €55 million, is proving to be a different beast altogether. Without some high-profile sales, it appears unlikely that the striker will be able to join this summer.

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Athletico Paranaense, for their part, are said to be sick of waiting around for Barcelona and they have now issued them a deadline by which the deal must be completed.

A 24-hour ultimatum

According to Mundo Deportivo, "Barca must move quickly if they do not want to run the risk of repeating the story of Arda Güler," who has signed for Real Madrid despite being intensely courted by the Blaugrana.

The report claims that Athletico sporting director Alexandre Mattos has "contacted FC Barcelona to issue an ultimatum: Paranaense give a period of 24 hours to receive all the documentation already signed to finally complete the transfer. Otherwise, they will begin to contemplate other proposals."

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Barcelona, it is claimed, have thus far dragged their feet in finalising the negotiations - perhaps to win time to sort out potential outgoings - despite a deal already being in place since June 18.

This lack of urgency has given other clubs a window of opportunity to swoop in. Manchester United, PSG and Tottenham are all said to be keen on the youngster, with one Premier League club reportedly having already attempted to hijack the transfer.

Fabrizio Romano claims that Roque only wants to join Barcelona, but if they keep dallying, another side may yet prove more attractive.