Barcelona face fresh hurdle in Vitor Roque’s move to Palmeiras following Pallegrini’s comments | OneFootball

The future of Vitor Roque has become a talking point in Spain lately even after the January transfer window.

That is because the forward has been courted by Palmeiras, who are ready to snap him up before February 28, when the Brazilian transfer market comes to a close.

Palmeiras are willing to pay a significant sum for Roque. However, the player is still contracted to Real Betis at least until the end of the season.

The transfer, therefore, hinges on the approval of Real Betis, who must terminate the loan without asking for compensation.

However, the idea of Real Betis allowing Roque to leave this month has appeared quite unrealistic so far, even more so after Manuel Pellegrini’s recent statement about the player.

Pellegrini speaks on Roque’s future

Heading into the upcoming league game against Real Sociedad, Pellegrini said Roque is just another player in the squad that the team is counting upon to finish the season.

Retis do not want to offload Roque this month (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)

“As with all the players in the squad, we rotate. Bakambu is playing now, he has played a lot.

“There are better and worse moments in the performances of the players. Without a complete and compact squad, it will be difficult to compete,” he said (h/t Diario SPORT).

“Vitor is one more of the squad, he has not had any setbacks or discomfort. Everyone likes to play in all the games,” the Chilean added.

Pellegrini’s statement seems to suggest that the Real Betis coach wants to keep hold of Roque until the end of the season, despite bringing in Chuco Hernandez in January.

One can hardly blame the Chilean tactician either, as Real Betis are currently involved in the UEFA Conference League, having already beaten Gent 3-0 in the first leg of the knockout playoffs.

Retaining maximum depth, therefore, could be crucial if Real Betis are to properly juggle between the Conference League and the La Liga this season.