London football reports that Tottenham Hotspur have 'renewed their interest' in signing Barcelona striker Vítor Roque, but faces competition from Man Utd and Chelsea.
Tottenham tried to sign Roque last summer, but the young Brazilian eventually joined the Catalans for £34 million. He has had a difficult start to life in La Liga and it looks like Spurs are ready to try again to lure him to north London.
Barça's financial problems meant they were unable to register Roque until January. From then on, he has had a hard time fitting into Xavi's plans. Andre Cury, his agent, confirmed that Spurs and Manchester United were also interested in signing him, but opted for Barcelona as the best 'career plan'.
He said,
“We received much higher offers from Tottenham and Manchester United for Vítor Roque. They were more than 100 million euros. But his career plan is well planned and we opted for Barcelona. The moment is not to look at the money but at the career.”
The report, citing Spanish newspaper AS, adds that Barcelona and Roque are now in a “tug of war” and there are several teams that will “try to take advantage” of the situation between the two parties.
The Spurs have made one of the 30 inquiries for him and have 'knocked on his door' after 'almost everything was agreed' for his transfer in 2023. According to the report, Chelsea and Manchester United will also enter the race for Roque's signings, but both clubs need to make sales before buying this summer for FFP reasons.
Roque is ready to leave Barcelona permanently
Vítor Roque's agent told RAC1 that “we will have to talk to the club to find a solution” for the 19-year-old. It is suggested that a loan would be detrimental to Roque's career, as staying at Barcelona and definitively leaving both options is considered a “good solution for all parties.” Cury said,
“A loan for a child ends up harming him. The best thing is to stay at Barcelona, but if he can't stay we will work to get him to leave permanently, they will sell him. We are happy and we want to continue. If we cannot, we will sit down with the president and Deco to find a good solution for all parties.”
With Robert Lewandowski ready to stay at Barcelonawho are in a well-documented financial crisis, it would not be surprising if they were willing to sell Roque permanently in the summer.
Tottenham have been a breath of fresh air with Ange Postecoglou and would be one of the favorites for his signing after having previously spoken to his entourage. Roque is still valued at £34 million per Transfer market And it would be a good signing for that price.
Chelsea and United are expected to keep an eye on a number of other forwards and may not consider Roque a priority target ahead of next season.