Arsenal and Chelsea have both made progress in their attempts to sign Athletico Paranaense sensation Vitor Roque, as per TeamTalk.
Roque is attracting attention from several top clubs in Europe, including Barcelona. He has been very impressive for Paranaense this season and is generally perceived as one of the upcoming rising stars in South America.
He has already scored four goals in seven games this season, and has been promoted to the Brazil senior squad after bagging six goals in eight appearances for the Brazil U20 side in the South American championship.
TeamTalk claims that a host of clubs including Barcelona, Arsenal, Chelsea, Newcastle, Manchester United, Tottenham, Aston Villa and West Ham are keen to sign the youngster – who is valued at around £35m.
However, it is the two London clubs – Arsenal and Chelsea – who appear to be showing more interest than others. Journalist Graeme Bailey says that both teams have been in contact with Roque’s camp and they are pushing hard to sign him.
Paranaense won’t be able to keep him and Bailey is confident that the young striker will definitely be available for transfer later this year.
Huge competition
Roque’s potential has alerted so many top clubs in the Premier League and it looks like it is only a matter of time before the big clubs come up with bids for him.
Globo Esporte recently reported that Tottenham and Liverpool along with Barcelona are ready to make formal bids for the South American wonderkid, and it seems Arsenal and Chelsea are also leading the charge. It goes to show that clubs in England rate Roque highly and they are willing to pay big money for him.
The youngster is a versatile forward who can not only operate as a striker but can also play on the wings. He can also play as an attacking midfielder, and probably that’s why there is such a big hype around him.
Both Arsenal and Chelsea need to add one top attacker to their ranks in the summer, and it won’t come as a big surprise if the youngster moves to one of the London clubs.
