Real Betis target Barcelona's Vitor Roque as transfer talks heat up
Real Betis have reportedly made a bold move to sign Barcelona's Brazilian striker Vitor Roque, a key target for manager Manuel Pellegrini to strengthen their attack.
The club are keen to determine as quickly as possible if they can clinch the deal or if they need to explore alternative options.
To this end, a delegation from Betis reportedly arrived in Barcelona early on Tuesday morning to negotiate the transfer.
According to El Chiringuito, Betis' CEO Ramon Alarcon, sporting director Manu Fajardo, and former captain JoaquÃn, who has been assisting with the technical secretariat for weeks, are in discussions with Barcelona sporting director Deco.
Their goal is to find a deal that will persuade Barcelona to allow Roque to join Betis.
With Roque reportedly keen on the move, following a meeting on Monday at his home with his agent present, Betis are working hard to create a mutually beneficial arrangement.
Barcelona have reportedly received a substantial offer of €30 million from Sporting Lisbon, including add-ons, which Betis are unable to match.
However, under Joaquin‘s leadership and with successful co-ownership deals for players like Emerson and Chadi Riad in recent years (and pending deals for Abde Ezzalzouli and Alex Collado), Betis are determined to fulfil Pellegrini‘s wish to have Roque in their squad.
With Ayoze Perez, Willian Jose and Borja Iglesias, all departed, and Cedric Bakambu sidelined with injury, the centre-forward position remains open.