Arsenal drop interest in forward as he prefers move to European giants: Reports

Arsenal have reportedly dropped interest in Vitor Roque after tracking him for the last few months. The Brazilian forward wants to join Barcelona and is not interested in talking to any other club.

As per a report in El Nacional, Arsenal are the latest club to drop interest in Roque. The Gunners were keen on adding the exciting forward to their ranks, already having the likes of Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Magalhaes, Gabriel Martinelli, and Marquinhos from the South American country.

The Spanish publication claim Mikel Arteta's side have decided to drop out because of Barcelona. The forward has confirmed he is ready to move to Camp Nou and told Globo Esporte:

"I definitely feel prepared to play in Europe. I work for it. I'm focused on getting there as prepared as possible."

He has insisted that he wants to join Barcelona and said:

"If ending up going to Barca comes to fruition, it will be a great joy for my family and for me ... for this reason, I have to continue working hard and hope that everything will come to fruition over time."

He wants to learn from Robert Lewandowski and added:

"If I had a footballer by my side of this level, I would try to learn as much as I could. If this ends up happening, I'm sure it will be very important for my career. It would be something wonderful."

The Gunners will next take on Liverpool in a Premier League away clash on Sunday, April 9.

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What next for Arsenal with Vitor Roque out?

Arsenal have Folarin Balogun out on loan this season and he has been doing well in Ligue 1.

The English forward is leading the attack for Reims every week and has managed 17 goals in 28 league games.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta spoke about the forward earlier this year and said (via talkSPORT):

"I'm so happy for him. He's a boy that has a really clear idea of what he wants to do with his career. He's really ambitious, really committed and really brave. We discussed a lot before he made that move whether it was the right place to go and the other choices he had. He was so convinced. I'm really happy for him because he deserves what he's getting."