The new avenue that Barcelona would explore to approach the signing of Viktor Gyökeres

From the sports management of FC Barcelona, it gives the impression that the idea of acquiring the services of a top-level center forward to replace Robert Lewandowski is gaining strength, despite Lewandowski remaining productive in scoring goals, a reliable replacement is deemed necessary. Many agree that this need has recently become more pronounced as 'Lewy' is experiencing a slight but noticeable goal-scoring drought.

In this regard, one of the options that most attracts the Blaugrana is that of the 26-year-old Swedish forward, Viktor Gyökeres. And why not? The native of Stockholm is having a dream 2024-25 season with Sporting Club de Portugal, amassing 27 goals and five assists in 26 matches, leading the Primeira Liga's top scorer chart with 18 goals and a strong contender in the race for the Golden Boot with 27 points, currently led by Robert Lewandowski with 32 points.

However, Barcelona faces a significant obstacle to overcome: the price of Gyökeres. A stellar goalscorer like Viktor is not exactly economical, with a release clause of €100 million. Nevertheless, the Portuguese team, which is going through a tough time following Rúben Amorim's departure as coach, seems willing to negotiate for around €80 million.

Now, even though negotiating down to €80 million would be seen as a significant step forward, it apparently remains a substantial sum for Barcelona. Therefore, it is not surprising that the Catalan club is exploring ways to reduce the cost of Gyökeres, even considering the option of including a Barcelona player in the deal to cut costs.

Barcelona would attempt to include Vitor Roque in the negotiation for Gyökeres

In this regard, as reported by the transfer specialist journalist Ekrem Konur, Barcelona is considering the option of including Vitor Roque in the negotiation for the transfer of Gyökeres. Currently on loan at Real Betis and without a clear place in the Blaugrana's sports project, the name 'Tigrinho' has regained relevance.

It is worth remembering that during the last summer transfer window, the name of Vitor Roque was of interest to Sporting Club de Portugal, who sought to strengthen their forward line. It was even mentioned that the Portuguese offered €20 million plus variables for the Timóteo native. However, the deal did not materialize, and the former Athletico Paranaense player was loaned to Real Betis for the 2024-25 season.

Now, it is necessary to assess the viability of this negotiation. Although it may seem feasible, it will undoubtedly present certain complexities. Questions arise about what Barcelona's valuation of Vitor Roque would be, who has been improving his numbers with the 'verdiblanco' team, scoring six goals in 23 matches.

Moreover, it will be crucial to determine if the Portuguese side will accept this valuation, which will likely need to be accompanied by an appropriate financial compensation for the reigning Primeira Liga champions to consider letting go of Gyökeres, their star goalscorer.