Barcelona sporting director Deco has not responded kindly to ex-presidential candidate Victor Font's comments and plans to take legal action against him. Font insinuated during an interview this week that there was underhanded dealings in the deal to bring Vitor Roque to the club.
According to MD, Deco has decided to take legal action against Font, probably for defamation, because of his comments on RAC1. Font had this to say.
“What is not normal raises suspicion. Let them come out and explain. If Barça planned and were transparent, there would be no hassle like what happened with Barca Studios or the signing of Vitor Roque, because it is not known what interests are behind it.”
Font also noted that Deco was Roque's agent and subsequently signed on when he became sporting director, which, as noted, was in fact Andre Cury and not Deco. As reported by La Vanguardia (via Relevo), Roque was first offered to Barcelona in January 2023, when then-football director Mateu Alemany and sporting director Jordi Cruyff rejected the deal due to sporting and economic reasons.
Their reporting claims that Deco was working as a scout for the club at the time and recommended Roque's signing, and when he subsequently came into the role at Barcelona, he reactivated the operation. There has been no confirmation of Barcelona's internal goings on so far, but Deco clearly disputes this version of events.
The 19-year-old set Barcelona back by €30 million, plus another €31 million in variables, even though nothing has been achieved since his time in the Catalan capital. Roque has since been loaned to Real Betis, who have a €25 million option to buy 80% of the striker's rights next summer. It has been a difficult period for Roque in Europe so far, despite poor form for Betis.
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