Barcelona might be unable to rope in 18-year-old Brazilian wonderkid in January

Barcelona capped off their summer transfer window with a dramatic deadline day, as the Catalans managed to pull off some admirable acquisitions in light of monetary constraints.

However, Barça’s most expensive signing, Vitor Roque, could not be acquired in the summer with the agreement that the 18-year-old would remain with Athletico Paranaense until 2024 before formally boarding the plane to Catalonia.

Barcelona’s strategies for the January transfer window have already begun to unfold, and reports were spiraling claiming the club’s only acquisition in the winter window would be Roque.

January arrival looking complicated

Now, contrary to previous reports, Helena Condis for COPE has come out to report that at this point in time, the Blaugrana hierarchy considers it unfeasible to sign Roque in the forthcoming transfer window.

This comes after La Liga released the salary caps for clubs for the 2023/24 season, with Barcelona’s spending limit set at €270 million.

The club’s fickle financial state needs no introduction by now, and tussles with Fair Play have obliged the Catalans to make a great deal of concessions while registering players.

Now with the salary cap set at €270 million, Barça are already exceeding it by a significant sum, with their current wage bill standing at around €404 million, making any movements in January difficult.

If Barcelona yearn to see Roque’s transfer transpire this time around, they will be required to generate an extraordinary amount of income or oversee an exit operation.

Roque arrival likely next season

Given the details of the report, it appears Barcelona will finally be able to dress Roque in the resplendent Blaugrana colours for the 2024/25 season.

Barcelona have already carried out a number of departures in the summer transfer window, and thus any further sales are unlikely to materialize, with the squad thinned.

Nonetheless, Roque will inevitably join Barcelona, whether it is in January or at the dawn of next season. The player has signed a contract until the 2030/31 season with a buyout clause of €500 million.