Barcelona face €25m blow as La Liga, RFEF block Vitor Roque transfer – report | OneFootball

Today was expected to be key in the Vitor Roque transfer saga as the Barcelona forward, on loan at Real Betis, appeared set to close a move to Palmeiras.

There was an agreement in place between the three clubs involved, with the Blaugrana set to pocket €25 million for 80% of the striker’s rights while also retaining a 20% future sell-on clause.

Real Betis, who had been reluctant to let the centre-forward leave, also appeared to be on board and the operation was expected to be finalised imminently, with the transfer window in Brazil set to close on February 28.

Move suspended

However, according to Gerard Romero, Vitor Roque’s transfer to Palmeiras has now been suspended as La Liga and the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) have not approved the operation due to legal issues.

Move off? (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images)

It was already reported previously that the transfer could face some complications with regard to the approval from the league and the RFEF.

Barcelona cannot sell the player outright with the transfer window closed, as they would first need to re-register him, even temporarily, before completing the sale.

As such, the only viable solution was seen for Real Betis to loan Roque directly to Palmeiras, including a mandatory purchase clause for the summer that satisfies both Barcelona and the Andalusian club.

While it is unclear if this is the reason behind the move coming to a halt, for now, La Liga and the RFEF have blocked the operation from going through, meaning Barça will miss out on the €25 million payday unless the situation resolves itself.