Barcelona youngster Vitor Roque is poised to complete his loan move to La Liga rivals Real Betis, journalist Fabrizio Romano has confirmed.
The 19-year-old will land in Seville tonight and the loan switch will be finalised and made official in the next 24 hours, the transfer expert reports.
Roque had fallen out of favour at Barcelona just eight months after joining the club and with no place for him in the squad, the Catalans had been eager to offload him.
While it was reported that Barcelona preferred a permanent departure and even had an offer from Sporting CP in Portugal, the striker insisted on joining Betis and has gotten his wishes.
The two clubs have been locked in negotiations for the better part of this week and it now seems that an agreement has been reached, with the player already headed for Seville.
It is believed to be a two-year loan deal for Roque with Romano claiming that there are several specific clauses, with the exact details of the agreement yet to be clarified.
It is expected that the youngster will make his debut for Manuel Pellegrini’s side against Barcelona’s bitter rivals Real Madrid on September 1.
Roque departs having made just 16 appearances for Barcelona in the second half of the last season in which he scored two goals as well.
Considering that Barcelona signed him for €30 million (plus €31 million in add-ons), they will hope that the Brazilian international discovers his mojo during the loan stint at Real Betis.
That way, the Catalans could reintegrate him into the squad when he returns or decide to offload him permanently for a profit.
