Chelsea are one of the clubs in the race for Athletico Parananse striker Vitor Roque.
What’s the latest on Vitor Roque to Chelsea?
According to reports from Spain, the Blues are set to rival Arsenal, Newcastle, Paris Saint-Germain, and Barcelona for the 18-year-old.
This report also details that the Catalan giants perhaps lead the way as the player ‘dreams’ of a move to Spain, but the deal is complicated by the scrutiny surrounding their finances so may be unable to afford the transfer.
Therefore, the aforementioned teams are all putting pressure on the Blaugrana to make their move, whilst they’re waiting in the wings to pounce on this extraordinary talent.
In order to secure the frontman’s future, it is understood that a fee of €35m (£30m) will meet his club’s valuation.
Who could Vitor Roque replace at Chelsea?
Roque represents a young, hungry, and dynamic striker, brimming with limitless potential. This description couldn’t be further from the current state of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s demeanour at Stamford Bridge.
The 33-year-old joined the West London outfit in the summer of 2022, but the transfer has materialised into a complete disaster, as he has been painfully ineffective.
The former Arsenal man has started just five Premier League games and has only found the net on three occasions in all competitions, as per Transfermarkt.
It was the definition of a panic buy that lacked any form of planning and drastically backfired.
The Gabonese’s inability to adequately perform has left Chelsea to endlessly experiment with various front lines that have often involved a ‘false nine’ – but has also failed to pay any dividends as the club has only scored 36 goals in as many games to underline a serious lack of potency in front of goal.
Meanwhile, with the impending arrival of Mauricio Pochettino, a new era is about to begin, which will most likely usher Aubameyang out the door.
The signing of the 70-cap international contradicted the ownership’s view to accumulate the “best young players.”
But, this could come in the form of Roque, who registered 12 goal contributions in 19 appearances in his native Brazil. Former Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari described him as “one of the greatest players we have ahead of us,” suggesting he’d be certainly suit the club’s new philosophy.
As a result of an impressive string of performances, the former Cruzeiro star made his Selecao debut in March 2023 to demonstrate the “crazy potential” he possesses, as per scout Jacek Kulig.
Pochettino is likely to be awarded vast resources to transform the fortunes of a club that has plummeted into midtable mediocrity and signing a star of this calibre would be an intelligent step for his future.
