Manchester United have been linked with a shock loan move for Barcelona striker, Vitor Roque.
Goal scoring has been a very big problem this season for United as only Bruno Fernandes, Rasmus Hojlund and Scott McTominay have reached double figures.
Erik ten Hag’s side are also the joint lowest scorers in the top half of the Premier League, with 52 goals scored.
Hojlund has admirably carried the weight of the goal scoring burden on his young shoulders but naturally he has been in and out of form as he has had to adapt to his first season in English football.
Therefore, it is well-known that the club are seeking reinforcements in the striking department this summer.
Names such as Benjamin Sesko, Ivan Toney and Joshua Zirkzee have all been linked to a move to Old Trafford but a new name has cropped up courtesy of Catalan outlet Mundo Deportivo.
The paper reports that “the possibility of a loan” for Barcelona’s young striker Vitor Roque, “arouses the interest of Manchester United, Napoli, Lyon and Nice, who have contacted his agent, and join Sevilla and Betis” as interested parties.
The 19 year old arrived at Barça in January but has barely had a look in when it comes to game time.
He has played 13 games, scoring two league goals in 310 minutes of action for the Camp Nou side.
Crucially only two of these matches have been starts however, in away games to Celta Vigo and Cadiz.
Mundo Deportivo claim that the player could be surprisingly available due to the fact the “club is considering a loan for next season if they cannot register him due to lack of fair play. That is why, as a result of this information and the words of Xavi Hernández, who last Saturday did not rule out the option of the forward getting the minutes he needs outside of Barça to adapt to European football, several clubs have been interested in him.”
The paper does go on to downplay the youngster’s own interest in a move claiming, “it is not expected that there will be an immediate move with Vitor Roque, who has no intention of leaving Barça when not even half a year has passed since he arrived at the team of his dreams and he continues to trust his chances of succeeding at Barcelona.”
Whilst it is an interesting story and the player is an intriguing talent, compared to Sergio Aguero and Luis Suarez in playing style, it would be a surprise if United were interested in a loan deal.
The whole point of bringing in a striker is to provide a reliable backup for their own starlet, Rasmus Hojlund. Even then, with 14 goals in all competitions and almost a full season under his belt, the Dane is seemingly much more ready for the rigours of top flight European football than Roque.
United will not necessarily bring in an older striker, but it seems more likely to be one they sign permanently and one that has sufficient experience to be trusted to hit the ground running and provide valuable support for Hojlund.