Barcelona face major €60m problem after €16m MLS transfer
Barcelona are left with major question marks over the future of Vitor Roque as he has plummeted down the Real Betis pecking order following the January transfer window.
The Brazilian wonderkid’s time in Spanish football has been a disaster so far. He was initially expected to join Barcelona last summer but the Blaugrana brought his move forward to January.
This proved to be an ill-calculated move as then-coach Xavi had no use for Roque. After spending most of the second half of last season on the bench, Roque joined Real Betis on loan and the Seville-based club even managed to secure a purchase option.
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He got off to a promising start, scoring in his second match for Betis, but things quickly turned sour. Although Roque has been a regular, his return of seven goals and two assists in 30 outings is nothing to write home about.
Roque to return to Barcelona
Indeed, Real Betis have seemingly already replaced Roque. Sport points out that there are now major question marks over the Brazilian’s standing in the team after the January transfer window.
The LaLiga side made significant offensive investments in the winter, bringing in Antony on loan from Man Utd and MLS superstar Cucho Hernandez from the Columbus Crew.
Betis have struggled to stay on an even keel financially in recent years and the €13 million plus €3m in bonuses spent on Hernandez is the biggest outlay the club have made on a single player since the summer of 2019.
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Compared
Vitor Roque
F (C)
Real Betis
Vitor Roque
F (C)
Real Betis
VS
Cucho Hernández
F (C)
Real Betis
Cucho Hernández
F (C)
Real Betis
2024/2025
Season Statistics
2024
| 30 | Appearances | 42 |
| 2 | Assists | 14 |
| 7 | Goals | 26 |
It is thought that coach Manuel Pellegrini will primarily utilise Cucho, who is coming off a spectacular two-and-a-half-year stint in MLS, and Cedric Bakambu going forward, leaving little room for Roque.
It is therefore increasingly unlikely that Betis will look to sign the Brazilian permanently, meaning that he will return to Barcelona with his stocks depreciated.
The Catalans will therefore struggle to recoup much of their €30m investment in the summer, although in positive news, it seems that they will not have to pay Athletico Paranaense the remaining €30m in potential bonuses.
Roque still has a market and Palmeiras were linked with a move for him in January. An eventual return to Brazil appears to be a realistic scenario.
