Vitor Roque’s transfer from Barcelona to Palmeiras is set to fall through due to the Royal Spanish Football Federation’s [RFEF] regulations which prevent Real Betis cutting his loan short, various sources have told ESPN.
Sources have told ESPN Brazil that Palmeiras are exploring workarounds, but there is pessimism about bringing the striker to the club before the transfer window closes in the country on Friday.
Palmeiras had agreed a €25 million fee with Barça for Roque, with the Catalan club maintaining 20% of any future transfer.
However, for the deal to be completed, Roque would have to return to Barça from his loan at Betis, where he has been playing since August, before being able to sign for Palmeiras.
Article 159 of the RFEF’s general regulations explains that loans can be cut short if the two clubs and the player are all in agreement, but that the club where the player is set to return — in this case Barça — must be inside a registration period.
That is not the case after the transfer window in Spain closed earlier this month.
The same article also states that loans are un-transferable, ruling out the possibility of Roque going directly from Betis to Palmeiras on loan before finalising a permanent deal in the future.
As things stand, the 19-year-old will therefore remain at Betis until the summer, where he has scored seven goals in 33 appearances so far this season.
Roque joined Barça in January 2024 from Athletico Paranaense for an initial fee of around €30m with the same amount due again in potential add-ons.
He found appearances hard to come by at the Blaugrana, scoring twice in 16 games last season before heading out to Betis on loan.
He had previously made his name at Athletico Paranaense, where he scored 28 times in 81 games as a teenager, earning him his solitary Brazil cap in 2023.
ESPN Brazil’s Francisco De Laurentiis contributed to this story.
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