Manchester United keen on signing Palmeiras forward Vitor Roque as Joshua Zirkzee replacement

Manchester United forward Joshua Zirkzee has spent much of the season on the fringes and could be on the move in the winter with the likes of Aston Villa, Brighton & Hove Albion, Sunderland and West Ham interested in his acquisition.

Given that Rasmus Hojlund is also expected to depart the club permanently at the end of the season following an impressive start to his loan spell at Napoli, the Red Devils could be in need of a back-up striker to compete with Benjamin Sesko.

With that in mind, Fichajes has reported that Manchester United are considering a switch next year for Palmeiras striker Vitor Roque, who has managed to regain his feet in Brazil after a turbulent few seasons at Barcelona as Robert Lewandowski’s fill-in.

Since rejoining the South American outfit, Roque has scored 17 goals and provided five assists in all competitions in the 2025 calendar year, and with the Brazilian season ending in December, the player could consider a return to Europe in January.

Roque transfer a difficult proposition

Vitor Roque’s troubled time at Barcelona was mainly due to Hansi Flick and Xavi Hernandez not looking past Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres as their primary strikers, a worry that might persist for the Brazilian at Manchester United too.

Benjamin Sesko is the club’s lucrative investment and while he has not exactly got off to a flying start to life at Old Trafford, he has shown glimpses of his brilliance and it might only be a matter of time before he gets up and running.

Therefore, Vitor Roque would have second thoughts about a transfer to Manchester United as he risks losing out on vital game time again, a supposition which at the age of just 20, could be detrimental to his career.

Instead, he might be open to joining a club of smaller scale in Europe as compared to United, where he would get more regular game time. That said, he remains a player worth keeping tabs on for the future for the Red Devils.