Barcelona see off Chelsea, Man Utd & PSG to land Vitor Roque

The Catalan giants and Athletico Paranaense have agreed a fee of €35 million (£30m/$38.4m) plus add-ons for the 18-year-old forward, National Daily understands. The fee could rise as high as €71m (£60m/$77m) in total, and Vitor Roque will arrive in Barcelona in 2024, with his move formally announced on Wednesday. It’s still not clear if the Brazilian will move in the January transfer window or next summer.

Vitor will sign a contract that runs until 2030 with a release clause of €500m (£427m/$551m). The transfer fee will be paid in instalments and will be the biggest in the history of Brazilian football. The bonuses are related to the number of matches played, goals scored and individual and team awards.

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The deal, which has been weeks in the making, comes as something of a coup for Barcelona. Sporting director Deco is credited with helping see off competition from the likes of Chelsea, Man Utd, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain to secure the player.

The deal will come as a relief to Barca fans after losing out to bitter rivals Real Madrid for the signature of another 18-year-old in Arda Guler. Barca begin pre-season preparations in July as they head on tour to the United States.