Vitor Roque has aimed a sly dig at parent club Barcelona, claiming he is happy with Real Betis and wants to continue plying his trade for them.
After tearing up the Brazilian top flight, Roque earned a reputation as one of the best talents in South America, and European clubs lined up to sign him.
Following a long-drawn-out transfer saga, Barca finally won the race for his signature, forking out an initial €30 million fixed fee and €31m in performance-related add-ons.
The finances involved in closing the deal indicated that all parties had high hopes for the Brazilian striker, but his career hasn’t gone according to plan.
Roque completed his big-money move to Barca in January but only made 16 appearances across all competitions for the Catalan giants, returning two goals.
Barca were keen to cut their losses this summer and ship him off on a permanent transfer, but it never materialised.
The talented 19-year-old striker joined Betis on a season-long loan. He has now revealed his admiration for the club and says he wants to stay beyond his loan contract.
“My family and I went through very difficult times, and now they smile with me,” Roque said (via Fabrizio Romano).
“I didn’t smile for six or seven months. I’m very happy at Betis. I’m smiling again here. I live very well, and I would like to keep on playing here.”
Roque has featured seven times for Betis across all competitions. He opened his goalscoring account in Betis’ 2-0 win over CD Leganes in mid-September.
It remains to be seen how Barca manage the striker’s situation moving forward, but they’re more likely to take a massive hit if they still want to sell next summer.
Roque emerged as a potential target for Manchester United last summer.
Even if they return for the Brazilian talent next year, they’re unlikely to stump up any fee close to Barca’s initial investment in the striker.
