Barcelona forward Vitor Roque has joined Real Betis on a season long loan just eight months after signing for the Catalan side in a deal worth an initial €35 million ($39m).
Betis will pay Roque’s salary in full and also have an option to extend the Brazilian’s loan into a second season. Another clause has also been included which would allow them to make the deal permanent.
The 19-year-old arrived in Seville over the weekend after opting to remain in LaLiga, despite interest from Portuguese side Sporting Clube, with Betis confirming the signing on Monday.
Barça only signed Roque in January from Athletico Paranaense, but the youngster, capped once by Brazil, found minutes hard to come by under former coach Xavi Hernanández.
He made 16 appearances last season, scoring twice, but the majority of his outings were as a substitute, with Robert Lewandowski preferred as the No. 9.
Roque was handed the chance to impress new manager Hansi Flick in preseason, but with a backup role once again likely at Barça this season, coupled with the club’s financial problems, he was encouraged to leave.
“Some situations, also for the player, sometimes it’s good,” Flick said of Roque’s move in a news conference on Monday. “I cannot speak about just what I heard, when I spoke with him. He came in a situation it was not easy for him.
“It’s a good chance for him to play, he’s doing a lot of things really great. He’s a really good guy and fingers are crossed that he’s playing really well and improve.”
Several other players are set to leave Barça this week as the Catalan side look to free up enough space to register new signing Dani Olmo with LaLiga.
Olmo, a €55m ($61m) signing from RB Leipzig, has missed Barça’s first two games of the season, wins against Valencia and Athletic Club, because the Catalan club are in excess of their league-imposed spending limit and cannot currently inscribe him.
Meanwhile Clément Lenglet has joined Atlético Madrid on loan after extending his Barça contract until 2027, the club announced on Monday.
Defender Mika Faye joined Rennes on Sunday for an initial €10.3m ($11.5m) fee, with Barça including a €25m clause to re-sign the player or a 30% cut of any future transfer.
Full-back Álex Valle is another on the move. The 20-year-old flew to Glasgow on Monday ahead of completing a loan move to Celtic.
Valle spent last year on loan at Levante and will now continue his development in Scotland, where he will be handed the chance to play Champions League football.