Real Betis will not allow Vitor Roque to join Palmeiras – Football España

The future of Vitor Roque has dominated transfer speculation in recent weeks, with Barcelona keen to part ways with the Brazilian forward, who only arrived in Spanish football last January after an €30m agreement was closed with Athletico Paranaense.

Expectations were high for Roque, but it’s safe to say that he has struggled since arriving in Spain. Barcelona did not count on him last summer after his initial spell during the second half of last season, which is why he was loaned out to Real Betis, where he has also not enjoyed a particularly great time.

In the last couple of weeks, it has emerged that Palmeiras are keen to bring Roque back to Brazil on a permanent basis. Barcelona are happy for a deal to proceed, while the player himself would also welcome a return to his homeland – as such, it rested on Betis to allow his loan deal to be cut short.

However, it is bad news for Barcelona and Palmeiras as Diario AS have reported that Betis are not considering letting Roque leave at this stage of the season. Despite the fact that he has fallen behind Cucho Hernandez and Cedric Bakambu in the pecking order, the 19-year-old is still counted on by head coach Manuel Pellegrini.

It’s worth noting that Betis do not have Cucho registered for the UEFA Conference League, meaning that Bakambu and Roque are the only striker options that Pellegrini has for that competition. This is one of the reasons that Los Verdiblancos has for taking their stance with the young Brazilian.

Barcelona had hoped to receive a fee in the region of €27m for Roque, but they may have to wait until the summer for a deal to be done with Palmeiras. At this stage, it seems unlikely that Betis will budge on their stance.