Everton could now bid for £25m ‘goalscorer’ with Barcelona wanting him sold quickly
Everton’s new transfer model under Kevin Thelwell is the stuff that dreams are made of, especially after the previous strategy the club had employed.
With Farhad Moshiri having been desperate to turn his new club into an instant European powerhouse, he invested heavily into seemingly readymade talent expected to compete now. The huge fortunes and mouth-watering wages tied these stars down to lucrative long-term deals, with no sell-on value, and no fallback option should this plan fail.
Well, fail it did, and now years on they are still feeling the after-effects of such devastatingly woeful recruitment. Everton could even suffer a third points deduction this coming season because of this, to add further insult to injury.
But, Thelwell has at least gone about changing that this summer, with his notable permanent acquisitions being 21, 23 and 24 respectively.
And now, he could even be set to add a talented teenager into the mix too before the window slams shut.
Everton set to bid for Barcelona striker
That’s according to Spanish publication MARCA, who have detailed the Toffees’ interest in a top Barcelona talent.
Having joined for a huge fee as recently as 2023, Vitor Roque moved to Camp Nou with big expectations.
But, for whatever reason, the Brazilian already seems out of favour, and could be on his way out.
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This has opened the door to many interested clubs, with Everton one of five sides referenced.
The report states: ‘Many clubs have asked about him since the end of the previous season. Nottingham Forest, Everton, Girona, Porto, Real Sociedad… are some of the clubs that have been interested in the Brazilian and that could make a definitive offer to the Catalans.’
Vitor Roque of FC Barcelona celebrates scoring his team’s third goal during the LaLiga EA Sports match between Deportivo Alaves and FC Barcelona at…
Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images
It also reveals an unofficial deadline: ‘What Barcelona is clear about is that it no longer wants the situation to be prolonged. Once it has been decided that he will not continue, the idea is to reach an agreement next week with a club before the official season begins. Barcelona will play its first league match next Saturday at 9:30 p.m. in Mestalla against Valencia.’
They then go on to claim that Barcelona would ideally like to recoup the bulk of the £25m they initially paid for his services, likely before they incur the additional bonuses which could drive the fee up closer to £60m.
Who is Vitor Roque?
Born in Timoteo, Brazil, this exciting 19-year-old has been on the radar of several big clubs for some time now.
An increasingly popular trend, to go straight to the source to claim the next big star from Brazil, Real Madrid’s success with Vinicius Jr has inspired Barcelona, Chelsea and others to start dipping into this market ahead of their rivals.
Vinicius Júnior of Brazil celebrates his goal during the CONMEBOL Copa America USA Group Stage match between Paraguay and Brazil at Allegiant Stadi…
Photo by Richard Callis/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images
However, with it comes a huge risk, even if the player in question is destined for the stars.
Roque seems like one such example of a player whose future remains exceedingly bright despite this Barcelona setback, having notched two La Liga goals last season from just as many starts, and having recorded an impressive 29 goal contributions in his final year in Brazil.
Although only 5 foot 9, perhaps this diminutive powerhouse, described as a ‘great goalscorer’ by journalist Aritz Gabilondo, could come to Everton and thrive in the pockets where Abdoulaye Doucoure has previously shone.
