Transfer Talk: Man Utd, Chelsea, Spurs eye unsettled Vitor Roque
Credit to Author: Adam Brown| Date: Wed, 8 May 2024 21:00:06 EST
Alejandro Moreno reacts to Girona’s comeback win against Barcelona in LaLiga. (2:02)
The summer transfer window won’t reopen in Europe for a while yet, but there are plenty of moves in the works and gossip is swirling around. Transfer Talk brings you all the latest buzz on rumours, comings, goings and, of course, done deals!
Multiple clubs are keeping close tabs on the situation Barcelona forward Vitor Roque, according to AS.
Three Premier League clubs are reported to be keen on him, with Manchester United, Chelsea, and Tottenham Hotspur all linked, while there is also interest in Serie A from Napoli.
Roque, 19, joined Barça for an initial €31 million from Athletico Paranaense in January but has made just two league starts since and, while the Blaugrana would prefer to send him out on loan to gain more experience, the Brazil youth international’s representatives have put pressure on the club to clarify his future.
“Vitor Roque should have more minutes and no one understands why he’s not getting them,” Roque’s agent Andre Cury said last week.
“[Barça coach] Xavi [Hernández] has never spoken with the player and I don’t understand the situation. It’s not good for anyone.
“In the 300 minutes he has played, he has scored two goals, which is possibly the best rate in the team. Xavi has given chances to Fermín [López], Pau Cubarsí and Lamine Yamal, but not to Vitor Roque. I can’t explain it.”
A meeting is set to be held “in the coming weeks” amid hopes of finding a resolution with Barcelona sporting director Deco, who played a key role in bringing Roque to the club.
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– Chelsea are prioritising a move for Napoli striker Victor Osimhen when the transfer market opens, says Calciomercato’s Daniele Longo. The Blues are reported to be open to including forward Romelu Lukaku, 30, as part of any deal, with the Belgium international set to return to Stamford Bridge from his loan spell at AS Roma at the end of the season. Osimhen, 25, has also been linked with Paris Saint-Germain.
– Arsenal are set to finalise an agreement to sign goalkeeper David Raya permanently, according to Football Insider. The 28-year-old has impressed this season at the Emirates Stadium while on loan from Brentford, and it looks as though the Gunners will make him their long-term starter between the posts. Aaron Ramsdale, 25, is reportedly expected to leave, with Chelsea and Newcastle United jostling for his signature.
– An offer between €50m and €60million will be required to persuade Eintracht Frankfurt to part ways with defender Willian Pacho, according to Sky Sports Deutschland’s Florian Plettenberg. The 22-year-old is believed to be on the radar of Liverpool, though no official contact has taken place between both clubs. Pacho has made 31 Bundesliga appearances this season.
– Perth Glory defender Johnny Koutroumbis will join Motherwell on a free transfer, according to the Daily Record. The Steelmen have been searching for reinforcements at right-back and former Australia under-23 international Koutroumbis appears most likely to brought in by manager Stuart Kettlewell.
– A battle between Manchester United and Atletico Madrid is underway for Juventus centre-back Bremer, writes Calciomercato. Both clubs are said to have scouted him in recent weeks, but the Bianconeri are looking for a fee of €70m if they are to offload him, with the club preferring to keep the Brazil international in manager Massimiliano Allegri’s squad.
– Al Hilal are willing to listen to offers for left-back Renan Lodi in the summer, says Rudy Galetti. Despite being contracted at the club until 2027, the latest indicates that the 26-year-old’s stay in Saudi Arabia could be cut short after joining them in January. He was previously linked with Nottingham Forest after a loan spell at the City Ground last season.