Man Utd refuse to give up hope of signing Barcelona wonderkid

Tom Weber

Updated: 3 May 2024 03:23 CDT
3 min read

Erik ten Hag, Manchester United — © IMAGO/FootballTransfers

Manchester United are still interested in signing Vitor Roque, according to Spanish media.

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The Barcelona wonderkid has not had the easiest of times in Catalunya since arriving from Athletico Paranaense. Though transfer speculation surrounding the Brazilian has died down in recent weeks, rumours of unhappiness over his role in Xavi's team were rampant in March.

His situation hasn't particularly improved since then in large part due to Robert Lewandowski's inspired form lately. An unused substitute in Barcelona's last two LaLiga outings, Roque has only made a measly 13 appearances since joining, most of them brief cameos off the bench.

Roque has scored twice in those 11 games, but the 19-year-old has often been pushed out onto the wing, which is a role that doesn't particularly suit him and this has been said to have aggravated his malaise. Xavi's decision to stay on board for another season, exclusively revealed by FootballTransfers, as well as Lewandowski saying that he has no intention to depart could have dire consequences for Roque's development.

Compared

Vitor Roque

F (C)

Barcelona

Vitor Roque

F (C)

Barcelona

VS

Robert Lewandowski

F (CRL)

Barcelona

Robert Lewandowski

F (CRL)

Barcelona

2023/2024

Season Statistics

2023/2024

13	Appearances	44
2	Goals	23
0	Assists	9

Man Utd the solution?

In light of this, Mundo Deportivo are once again linking Roque with a potential exit. Particularly interesting is the claim that Man Utd are still interested in the teenager, with the Red Devils having tried and failed to beat Barcelona to his signature in 2023.

A host of other sides are also said to be keen, with the likes of Napoli, Nice and Lyon joining Real Betis and Sevilla on the list of suitors. It is claimed that Barcelona may struggle to register Roque for the upcoming campaign due to their Financial Fair Play problems and are considering sending him out on loan.

A permanent departure is ruled out as neither Barcelona nor the player wants to separate. Roque is a childhood Blaugrana fan and has no intention of ending the stint at his dream club after merely six months. The highly-rated teenager may just have to bite the bullet and patiently wait for an opportunity to usurp Lewandowski.