Chelsea step ahead of Barcelona in race to sign forward dubbed the new Ronaldo: Reports

Chelsea are reportedly ahead of Barcelona in the race to sign Brazil wonderkid Vitor Roque. The young striker has been compared with Ronaldo Nazario and Luis Suarez in his short time in his senior career.

As per a report in Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona's financial issues see them sitting behind Chelsea in the race to sign Roque. The Brazilian dreams of playing for the Catalan side, but they are not in a position to pay the €35 million demanded by Athletico Paranaense.

Chelsea are keen on bolstering their attack and believe that he can be the next big signing for their Project 2030. They have already secured Andrey Santos from Brazil, Kendry Paez from Ecuador, and Cesare Casadei from Italy for their project.

18-year-old Roque is eligible to sign for any club in Europe this summer and was of interest to Arsenal too. Barcelona are looking to secure the signing on loan this summer with an obligation to buy in 2024.

Playing mainly as a centre-forward Roque has scored 15 goals and provided seven assists in 56 games for Athletico Paranaense. He was also the top scorer for Brazil's U20 side with six goals, helping them win the Under 20 South American Championship this year.

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Chelsea target dreams of playing for Barcelona

Chelsea target Vitor Roque has admitted that he dreams of playing for Barcelona. He has stated that he is mentally ready to move to Europe and start his career with a top side this summer.

He was quoted by GOAL saying:

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

The Brazilian striker has added 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."

However, he is not getting carried away as he knows he needs to focus on what is in his hands right now. The Athletico Paranaense forward continued:

"I try to focus more on the present than on the future, because today is more important than tomorrow. My destiny is in the hands of God, so I continue working with humility. My future will be a result of today's work. I try not to focus on what happens off the pitch. I don't have a preferred club, so I let it be. I think that the present with the Paranaense is more important right now for me."

Chelsea and Barcelona were engaged in transfer battles for multiple players last summer, including Raphinha and Jules Kounde. It appears that they are set to fight for Roque this summer.