18-year-old set to sign for Barcelona despite hijack attempts from Manchester United and PSG: Reports
Vitor Roque is reportedly set to sign for Barcelona despite late attempts of a hijack from Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).
Roque, 18, has been at the top of the Blaugrana's summer shortlist for the last few months. He popped up as a target for them after his fine outings at the U20 South American Championship earlier this year.
Earlier in June, Mundo Deportivo claimed that Barcelona have agreed on a deal worth up to €45 million with Athletico Paranaense for Roque's signing. They finalized the move after Alexandre Mattos, CEO of the Brazilian club, visited the Catalan side's headquarters last month.
Now, according to a new report from the aforementioned outlet, Vitor Roque is likely to be announced as a Barcelona player next week. His switch will be completed after the Catalan side send the final documents.
Meanwhile, top European teams such as Manchester United, PSG and Tottenham Hotspur have called Roque's agents, asking them to force the left-footed striker to change his mind. However, the Brazilian sensation has clarified that his intention is to join Barcelona this summer.
Roque, whose current deal is set to expire in May 2027, could prove to be a great signing for the Blaugrana. With Robert Lewandowski in his 30s, he would find a pathway into their first-team plans soon.
So far, the Manchester United and PSG target has registered 21 goals and laid out eight assists in 64 appearances for Athletico Paranaense.
Pundit urges Manchester United to not sign former Barcelona and current PSG forward
Speaking to Apostagolos, former Manchester United star Paul Parker claimed that he is not keen to see former Barcelona star and PSG winger Neymar at Erik ten Hag's side this summer. He elaborated:
"I don't want Neymar at Manchester United. Not at all. If that were to happen, all you would have done was to go from the frying pan to the fire with the Ronaldo situation in mind. Erik ten Hag isn't drinking any alcohol as far as I'm concerned, so I couldn't imagine him taking a decision to bring in a modern version of Ronaldo in that sense."
Parker claimed that the Brazilian would cause issues at Old Trafford:
"If things aren't going his way, he will cause issues. He gets involved with players on the pitch, which causes other players to lose their own discipline. I have seen it too many times at PSG and Brazil. He winds players up. I'm not saying that it's intentional, but he loses it."
Neymar, 31, has been speculated to depart the Parisians for quite some time as he has failed to impress his club's top brass of late. He has contributed 118 goals and 77 assists in 173 games for them so far.