Xavi has revealed when Vitor Roque will join Barcelona after providing a training update on the €35m (£30m/$39m) Brazilian forward.
Article continues below
Article continues below
Article continues below
Roque soon to travel to SpainGavi's knee injury helped Barca finance Roque's moveMight join squad after ChristmasWHAT HAPPENED?
The Catalan club confirmed the signing of the player in January 2023 and is all set to welcome him before the year ends. It was reported that Roque might arrive in Barcelona on December 27, and it seems that the plan remains on track as Xavi spoke in the same vein when pressed about his arrival.
AdvertisementWHAT XAVI SAID
Speaking to reporters, Xavi said: "If everything goes well, he will join us after the holidays. We are in contact with him so that he arrives in good condition.”
(C)Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE
Barcelona have been struggling in front of goal and Roque could not have arrived at a better time. However, Xavi brushed aside the idea that Barcelona would be overly reliant on the youngster for goals, and instead urged his senior players to step up.
"We cannot put pressure on Vitor Roque or young people like Lamine [Yamal]. They have to go step by step," he said. "We have to take a step forward as a team. We need to make the difference, we lack effectiveness in the areas. The lack of effectiveness has weighed on us in many games. If we want to turn things around in La Liga, we need to improve there.”
DID YOU KNOW?
Gavi suffered an ACL injury while representing Spain in their Euro 2024 qualifier against Georgia, which forced him to undergo surgery. However, Barcelona made the most of the opportunity and used 80 per cent of the salary freed by Gavi to register Roque provisionally until June.