Barcelona Hope That Everton Deal Will Happen: Is £43m Too Much?

Barcelona Hope That Everton Deal Will Happen: Is £43m Too Much? Everton sit sixth in the Premier League with 16 points from 10 games, and the main reason is a striker who looked out of his depth twelve months ago. Thierno Barry has scored six league goals, and David Moyes told Haaland to start worrying. That success hides a thin position. Beto left for Fiorentina in the summer, and the late collapse of a deal for Folarin Balogun left Barry as the only recognised senior striker. Moyes has already warned about depth after the 3-1 win over Coventry, where Barry’s two goals rescued a side trailing after half-time. One injury or suspension to the Frenchman would leave Moyes improvising up front. The schedule makes that a live concern. Everton lost 2-0 to Chelsea and Arsenal in successive league games, then beat Newcastle in both the EFL Cup and the league, and they now face Brentford, Liverpool and Aston Villa inside ten days. The funding is just as uncertain. The Friedkin Group announced on 9 October that it is exploring a sale of a controlling interest, and owners preparing to sell rarely sanction expensive signings. Any January business has to be easy to justify to a future buyer. Everton’s reported answer Sport Witness , relaying Spanish outlet Sport, says Everton are considering a January move for Palmeiras striker Vitor Roque. The Brazilian is 21 and joined Palmeiras from Barcelona in February 2025 for €25.5m (about £22m), and Palmeiras reportedly want at least €50m (about £43m). Barcelona kept a 20% sell-on clause on fees above €41m, so a €50m sale would return roughly €10m to Catalonia. Sporting director Deco hopes the deal happens. Roque is 5ft 8in, presses constantly, runs in behind and finishes best inside the box, scoring 20 goals in 56 games in 2025. He offers little in the air or with his back to goal, and he managed two league goals in 14 Barcelona appearances. This year has been uneven. An injury cost him weeks; he went 12 games without a goal over the summer, and he only returned to Palmeiras’ starting line-up on 6 November. Should Everton pay £43m for Vitor Roque? QUITO, ECUADOR – SEPTEMBER 16: Vitor Roque of Palmeiras celebrates scoring his team’s second goal during the Copa CONMEBOL Libertadores Quarter-final second leg match between LDU Quito and Palmeiras at Rodrigo Paz Delgado Stadium on September 16, 2026 in Quito, Ecuador. (Photo by Franklin Jacome/Getty Images) Not at that price today. The fit is sound on paper. Barry is 6ft 5in and wins long balls, so Roque would run beyond him and stretch defences in a way Everton can’t at present. But Barry is scoring, and the bigger shortage is chance creation, with Jack Grealish suspended and few reliable providers behind him. Everton would pay a heavy premium over his €38m Transfermarkt value for a 21-year-old with one unfinished year behind him, while owners who may leave by the summer carry the risk. A long contract at that fee becomes a new owner’s problem, and Moyes has always preferred forwards who already know the Premier League. A second striker still belongs on the January list, because leaning on Barry alone is reckless. A proven Premier League forward at around half the cost covers the depth. Roque makes sense only if Palmeiras fall close to that €38m valuation.