The Brazilian talent pool has recently been the subject of interest from several European heavyweights, with the transfer of Endrick to Real Madrid the headline move.
After fighting off interest from several clubs for his signature, Globo reports that Madrid and other European clubs could go head to head for another Brazilian wonderkid in Vitor Roque.
The 17-year-old Athletico Paranaense striker is on Madrid’s radar, while Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona, and Chelsea have also been monitoring his development in Brazil for the past few months.
Roque came through the youth ranks of Cruzeiro after transferring from America-MG in 2019.
His performances culminated in a goal and assist in four games, earning him a promotion to Cruzeiro’s first team, where he scored six goals and provided one assist in 16 games.
Having joined Athletico last April, Roque has featured 29 times in the league for his new side, 14 of which have been starts.
He has netted five goals and provided two assists in the league while recording seven goals and three assists in 36 appearances across all competitions.
Roque is highly rated in his native Brazil, with the international press tagging him as ‘the new Ney’ when comparing him to PSG star Neymar.
Madrid set the bar high when they agreed to shell out a total fee of around €72 million to sign Endrick from Palmeiras, and whichever European giant snaps up Roque must trigger his €100m release clause.
Roque is the most expensive signing in Athletico history, so it will take a mammoth fee to persuade the Brazilian outfit into a sale.
