Barcelona attacker not part of Hansi Flick's plans, club ready to let player leave this summer - Reports
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has reportedly decided that striker Vitor Roque can be allowed to leave the club. According to Spanish outlet Diario AS, the Brazilian forward could depart the Catalan outfit in the summer.
The 19-year-old faced a similar situation in Xavi's tenure. He was mostly restricted to appearances off the bench, making just two starts in the Spaniard's time in charge. In total, he made 14 appearances, scoring twice but featuring in just 353 minutes of action.
Roque was a highly-touted prospect, impressing for Athletico Paranaense in South America. He joined Barcelona in January 2024 for a reported €61 million package. However, it seems that he has failed to impress both Xavi and Hansi Flick in his short time with the Catalan giants and thus a loan deal or permanent exit is on the cards.
La Masia product Pau Victor, who finished as the top-scorer with La Blaugrana's development team Barca Atletic, is expected to take the backup role to Robert Lewandowski, according to the aforementioned report. He has had a good pre-season and scored in their 2-2 draw against Manchester City.
Selling Roque permanently could be a huge boost for Barcelona who are going through some well-known financial difficulties. It could help them in their pursuit of Athletic Bilbao's Nico Williams and RB Leizpig's Dani Olmo as they hope to build a squad to compete with last season's La Liga winners Real Madrid.
Pep Guardiola heaps praise on Barcelona squad after 2-2 draw with Manchester City
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola was full of praise for the Barcelona side, especially their youngsters after the two teams played out a 2-2 draw in pre-season. Speaking after the game, the former Blaugrana manager said (via Barca Blaugranes):
“They are going to have a very good season. They have young players with a lot of talent. They are extraordinary players. It is incredible how talented they are and what they do on the pitch, how easy they do it for their age. It is not a surprise to me because I know perfectly well how well they work with the youth team at that club.”
A number of La Masia products including the likes of Pau Victor, Marc Casado and Hector Fort started the game. Victor even found the back of the net as the Premier League champions had to come from behind twice to level the scores.
Barcelona will continue their pre-season tour of the US with fixtures against Real Madrid and AC Milan. They will then kick off their season with a trip to Valencia in La Liga on August 17.