While West Ham United wanted to bolster their squad during the January transfer window for the immediate future, a few moves were made that showcased some forward planning as well.
One of those was for Vitor Roque, a highly sought after Brazilian who plays for Athletico Paranaense, who has also caught the eye of bigger clubs, such as Chelsea, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain.
West Ham even reportedly made a bid for the 17-year-old over the course of January, but it was said to be less than half what the Série A club have been asking for.
The Hammers reportedly put €14m on the table, which wasn’t even considered, as they value their young star at around €40m.
The interest from West Ham is once again brought up on Friday by Mundo Deportivo, who focus on Barcelona, explaining that the La Liga side ‘knows it is obliged to make a move’, because clubs such as Chelsea, their London Stadium counterparts and Paris Saint-Germain ‘have already turned to Atletico Paranaense to probe his signing’.
The player, down his end, ‘prioritises’ Barcelona, and while their Financial Fair Play situation has them worried about the moves they can make in the summer, they are said to have ‘an ally’ in the former of the player’s agent, André Cury, who is a former employee of theirs.
He sees a move to Barcelona as the ‘ideal sports project’ for his client, and could ‘mediate’ with the Brazilian club to get Roque to Catalonia for cheap, all the while guaranteeing Athletico the money over a long period of time.
Still, with a price tag of €35-40m on his back, it will take a fair chunk of money to get him, which West Ham, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea should have plenty of in the summer, providing that the Hammers avoid the drop back to the Championship, of course.
