Barcelona director confirms the signing of 18-year-old wonderkid: “A very good player”

Speaking to the media (h/t SPORT), Barcelona sporting director Deco has confirmed that the club have signed Vitor Roque from Athletico Paranaense, stating that the only thing pending is an official announcement from the team.

Talks for Roque had been underway for a long time and an agreement was finally reached a few weeks ago. And with the documents understood to be signed over the weekend, the 18-year-old is a Barcelona player, pending an official confirmation.

But, Deco has pretty much confirmed the signing, as he said: “Roque? Of course, I am satisfied. He is a very good player. It’s a matter of the club when it becomes official.”

Barcelona will be spending a fixed transfer fee of €30 million on Roque’s signing while there will be a variable component of €31 million involved, including payments related to Ballon d’Or.

The teenager will be signing a six-year contract with the club with the option of an additional year, essentially tying him down to Barcelona until 2030.

Barcelona were also interested in signing Arda Guler, with Deco himself working on the transfer. However, the move did not take place, with the youngster opting to sign for Real Madrid instead.

When asked what went wrong in the operation, Deco said: “I don’t know.”

Meanwhile, Mateu Alemany also gave his two cents about the imminent arrival of Roque, saying (h/t SPORT): “We have to wait for the communication from the club.”

The Blaugrana’s director of football is working to offload at least eight players this summer to address the Financial Fair Play issues. When quizzed about the status of departures, Alemany did not sound very optimistic, as he said: “There are not that many.”