According to Mundo Deportivo, Vitor Roque finally arrived in Barcelona this morning amid much fanfare and anticipation. He is from Brazil.
There were high expectations when the Brazilian forward arrived early this Wednesday morning at the Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat airport, accompanied by his parents, sister, new bride, and in-laws.
In a summer transfer worth €30 million plus an additional €31 million, Barça signed Roque, but he was allowed to play for Athletico Paranaense for the previous six months.
Now, as the January transfer window approaches, the Blaugrana have advanced his arrival at manager Xavi Hernandez’s request. Hernandez is looking for offensive reinforcements due to the team’s lackluster performances in the closing third.
Arriving to offer protection and competition for the misfiring Robert Lewandowski—whose performances are causing a great deal of discontent within the team—is Roque.
According to the report, “Tigrinho” and his family were unable to find a direct flight to Barcelona, so they left Curitiba yesterday for Sao Paulo and boarded a plane that stopped in Madrid.
The 18-year-old touched down at El Prat a while back after traveling to the Spanish capital at roughly 6:00 a.m. for his last flight to Barcelona.
With just one day to acclimate and initiate his transition, Vitor Roque will have a hectic first few hours in Barcelona.
He is scheduled to participate in Xavi’s training sessions with his new teammates on the afternoon of the 29th.
At the customary open training session on the 30th at the Johan Cruyff Stadium, Vitor Roque will make his first impression on Barça supporters following his first training session with his new teammates.
The teenage striker is expected to make his debut against Las Palmas the day after his official presentation on January 3.
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