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Manchester United’s offer for striker Vitor Roque has been rejected by La Liga giants Barcelona.
A report covered by The Peoples Person early last month relayed that United were interested in a shock loan swoop for the struggling Barcelona star.
Roque arrived at Camp Nou from Athletico Paranaense in January in a previously arranged transfer that could potentially reach €61m in due course.
However, Roque has not found his time with the Blaugrana very pleasant. Under Xavi, the Brazilian forward was afforded just 319 minutes across 14 La Liga appearances, starting only two matches and often being left unused for games in a row.
Roque’s lack of playing time prompted an angry response from his agent, hinting at a potential summer exit for the player.
Links to United came up again when it was subsequently suggested that Barcelona would be keen on offering him to Erik ten Hag’s side in exchange for Mason Greenwood.
A fresh report now claims that United lodged a bid for Roque but it was swiftly knocked back by Barca, who are believed to want more money.
It’s understood that United made their “first offer” for the 19-year-old. The Red Devils have “not lost the interest” in the player and were prepared to part with €35m in an effort to lure him to Old Trafford.
However, Barcelona president Joan Laporta rebuffed the proposal as he’s eager for the Catalan outfit to recoup most of the money they paid to get him from Athletico Paranaense.
New Barca boss Hansi Flick has apparently told the club to “study” any loan offers they receive for Roque.
It’s unclear whether United would be open to such an arrangement.
Meanwhile, it seems like Roque has his heart set on remaining in Barca’s books and proving himself in Flick’s eyes. It was recently relayed that he cut his holiday short and already returned to Barcelona to prepare for the next season.
📍 Vitor Roque ya está en Barcelona. El brasileño ha reducido sus vacaciones y ha acudido esta mañana a la Ciudad Deportiva.
🇧🇷 El brasileño quiere demostrarle sus cualidades a Flick y poder hacer una buena pretemporada con el equipo azulgrana, tal y como informó @RogerTorello. pic.twitter.com/nK4Cwpf6gQ
— Carlos Monfort (@monfortcarlos) June 14, 2024
Apart from Roque, other talismans mentioned to be on United’s radar include Joshua Zirkzee (Bologna), Victor Osimhen (Napoli), Viktor Gyokeres (Sporting Lisbon), Matheus Cunha (Wolves) and Ivan Toney (Brentford).
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