Barcelona following 20-year-old Serie A hitman as a possible Vitor Roque alternative

Barcelona are monitoring Atalanta BC striker Rasmus Hojlund as a possible alternative for primary centre-forward target Vitor Roque heading into the summer transfer window.

Hojlund joined Atalanta only last year, arriving from Sturm Graz. And the 20-year-old striker is enjoying a solid debut campaign in Italy. In 28 appearances (16 starts) for the Serie A outfit, he has racked up a tally of eight goals and three assists, demonstrating great potential.

Hojlund’s exploits in Italy have alerted several clubs across Europe, with teams in the Premier League, in particular, taking note of his talent and high ceiling.

Now, Barcelona, too, are said to be following the Danish international, who has scored five goals in four matches for his country.

It is no secret that the Blaugrana are in the market for reinforcements in the attacking line to address the over-reliance on Robert Lewandowski for goals. At the same time, the club also want to keep a succession plan in place for when the veteran superstar is phased out.

Vitor Roque of Athletico Paranaense is the main target for Barcelona. But talks over a deal for the Brazilian have slowed down as the club are concerned about meeting his valuation which is said to be around €45-50 million.

Roque, for his part, wants to join Barça, but is not prepared to wait until July/August for his future to be resolved.

With Premier League clubs such as Arsenal and Chelsea also gunning for his signature, Barcelona could end up missing out on the 18-year-old striker.

Hence, Barça are looking at other possible options in case such a scenario materialises, with Hojlund emerging as one of the options.

The Denmark international has been likened to Manchester City superstar Erling Haaland due to his characteristics. Barcelona see him as a player who will score a lot of goals and believe that there is a big room for improvement within the forward.

There have been speculations in Italy that the 20-year-old would cost a high fee in the summer, especially considering that his contract runs until 2027. However, there is a belief that the operation could be completed at a much more restrained price.

For now, there have been just initial surveys and nothing beyond that. Only time will tell if the interest translates into something more substantial.