Aston Villa are reportedly in the hunt for Athletico Paranaense’s teenage striker Vitor Roque, dubbed ‘one of the jewels of Brazilian football’.
The 18-year-old already has more than 60 professional games under his belt and was handed his debut for Brazil in the March international break. Snapped up by Paranaense last April after impressing for Cruzeiro in Serie B, Roque has begun the new campaign in sparkling form, scoring four in five games for his club, as well as firing in six goals in eight games as Brazil won the recent u20 South American championship.
Roque was rewarded with a call-up to the Selecao last month, playing 25 minutes as a substitute against Morocco, alongside Vinicius Junior and Manchester United’s Antony. The emergence of a new striker within Brazil’s ranks has not gone unnoticed, though, with Villa claimed to be one of many clubs considering a move for the prodigious forward.
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Brazilian outlet Globo Esporte has reported that Roque is “in the sights” of several European sides. It is stated that an entourage working on Roque’s behalf recently visited Barcelona and a number of Premier League sides, with Villa said to be among those to have been in “contact” about a move.
However, Unai Emery’s side seemingly face plenty of competition, with Liverpool, Chelsea, and Manchester United also mentioned, alongside Tottenham and West Ham. Athletico Paranaense are yet to receive a formal proposal but it is claimed that Barcelona and two unnamed English clubs have “promised” to make an offer for Roque in the summer.
Globo Esporte state that Athletico Paranaense have set a €42m (£36.8m) asking price, just a year after paying in the region of £3.8m, with his contract set to run until 2027. On Saturday, Roque proved to be calm under pressure as he slotted in a 101st minute penalty against Cascavel.
Villa showed their willingness to bring in a young striker when Jhon Duran arrived for around £17m from Chicago Fire in January. The Colombian has so far been used sparingly as back-up to Ollie Watkins, while Villa also have Cameron Archer out on loan at Middlesbrough.
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