Barcelona accepted €32m offer for outcast before rejecting it due to the player’s will

Barcelona’s management of exits this summer is bound to be discussed for a long time. After all, every manoeuvre Deco and Co. have overseen or are in the process of completing have been quite questionable.

One such case is Vitor Roque, who arrived at the club amidst massive hype less than a year ago.

After not seeing minutes under Xavi, the player has also been kept out of Hansi Flick’s plans and is being shipped off by the club, primarily due to a lack of space on the wage bill.

Sporting CP were said to be very close to completing his transfer earlier this week, but the entry of Real Betis at the last minute appears to have changed the player’s outlook.

Spanish journalist Moretto provides an update on the situation.

Player’s choice rules

As per the update, Deco had initially accepted the offer from Sporting Clube de Portugal for Roque, which proposed a fee of €20 million with an added €12 million in variables.

The negotiations were on the right track, and the player was open to the move, so much so that Sporting’s sports director Hugo Viana even travelled to Catalonia to finalize the deal.

The arrival of Real Betis on the scene, however, changed everything, as the player had not yet committed to the Portuguese giants. Ultimately, his will made the difference, and he is set to stay in Spain.

Loan agreement being finalised

As revealed earlier today, Los Verdiblancos are not considering a permanent transfer at this point and propose to sign Roque on a loan deal.

The player has already given his green light, and Real Betis will cover a significant portion of the player’s salary (close to €3 million) during the loan stint. Documents are expected to be exchanged in the coming hours.

It is still unclear whether he will make the move for one or two years, as the duration of the loan is still being negotiated.

In case the loan deal is for two years, Barcelona will have the option to bring the player back after just one season.

What is clear, however, is that Sporting is no longer an option and that an agreement with Real Betis is just around the corner.