Barcelona Transfer News Roundup: Catalans could offload Vitor Roque, Raphinha not in Saudi Arabia talks, and more - March 25, 2024
Barcelona return to action on Saturday, March 30, when they take on Las Palmas at home in La Liga. Xavi's team are second in the league after 29 games, eight points behind leaders Real Madrid.
Meanwhile, the Catalans could offload Vitor Roque this summer. Elsewhere, Raphinha is not in talks to move to the Middle East.
On that note, let's take a look at the major Barcelona transfer stories from March 25, 2024.
Barcelona could offload Vitor Roque
Barcelona could cash in on Vitor Roque this summer, according to his agent Andre Cury. The Brazilian forward joined the Catalans in January and has mostly featured off the bench so far. He has scored two goals in 11 appearances across competitions for La Blaugrana.
Speaking to RAC1 radio, Cury claimed that there's rising interest in the player's services ahead of the summer.
"At the moment there is a queue of clubs that would be willing to sign him for €50 million ($54 million). Barca has only paid €10 million ($10.8 million), so it would be a worthwhile operation. With three operations like this they [will have] solved their financial problems. Barca pays €5 million ($5.4 million) every six months until he reaches €30 million fixed," said Cury.
He continued:
"And to meet all the variables, Vitor should be a starter. If he is a starter at Barca at 20 years old, his price tag would be €200 million ($216 million) for sure. [There's] €1 million ($1.08 million) for the Ballon d'Or and €2 or 3 million ($2.1 or 3.3 million) for being among the three best with FIFA [i.e. at The Best awards]. The rest is for starting half of the games."
Vitor Roque was initially earmarked as the long-term replacement for Robert Lewandowski at Camp Nou.
Raphinha not in Saudi Arabia talks
Raphinha is not on his way to the Middle East, according to acclaimed journalist Fabrizio Romano. The Brazilian forward has blown hot and cold since joining the Catalans in 2022 from Leeds United. This season, he has dropped behind Lamine Yamal in the pecking order for Barca. The reigning La Liga champions are expected to offload players to raise funds this summer.
Recent reports have suggested that Raphinha could be on his way amid rising interest from Saudi Arabia. The 27-year-old has appeared 28 times across competitions this season for Barcelona, registering five goals and 10 assists.
In his column for Caught Offside, Romano admitted that Raphinha could join a European club this year.
"Finally, I’m not aware of any official or formal bid from Al Hilal for Raphinha at this stage, despite what’s been reported by some outlets. I’m still told that Raphinha could be one to watch in the summer in the event of good proposal, but I’m not in the position to confirm about Saudi as most likely destination as I’m told is nothing close or concrete so far, so I believe Europe is still an option,” wrote Romano.
There's rising interest in the Brazilian winger from the Premier League, according to recent reports.
Joao Cancelo wages war on Pep Guardiola
Joao Cancelo has slammed reports of an attitude problem during his time at Manchester City. The Portuguese fullback arrived at Barcelona on loan from the Premier League club last summer and has been a hit in Catalonia. Cancelo has scored four goals and set up four more from 32 outings across competitions this season for Barca.
The La Liga champions are pleased with his efforts and want to tie him down to a permanent deal. Prising him away from the Citizens could prove to be a problem, although it has been reported that he is at daggers drawn with Guardiola. Barcelona are banking on this strained relationship to get their hands on the 29-year-old.
Speaking to A Bola, Cancelo lamented a lack of appreciation from his parent club.
"There were fake stories about me at City. I’ve never been a bad teammate. I remember once I was robbed and assaulted at home and the next day I was playing at Emirates against Arsenal. These are things you don’t forget, I left my wife and daughter alone at home still scared, in shock, to play for City," said Cancelo.
He continued:
“At City, they were a bit ungrateful to talk about me like this, I’ve been an important player for them. I’ve never felt better than any other teammate, but it’s the manager’s opinion. People remember this because Guardiola has much more strength than me when he says something… I prefer to know that I’m telling the truth. I never lied.”
Cancelo's contract with City runs until 2027.