Live tiger stalks Barcelona's stadium ahead of new signing's presentation

The 18-year-old Brazilian has rocked up in Spain after saying goodbye to Athletico Paranaense, and Barca are doing their best to raise fans' expectations.

A one-time capped Brazil international, Barca are competing with the hype over Real Madrid's signing of countryman Endrick, and a wild announcement video can soon be expected.

The Catalans have been teasing Roque's arrival throughout the week, and the striker has now arrived in Spain and been given some club gear ahead of his unveiling.

The presentation will take place at Montjuic, their temporary home while the Camp Nou undergoes renovations.

But, ahead of the announcement, the club seems to have taken Roque's nickname Tigrinho a little too literally.

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The name means 'little tiger' and, rather astonishingly, the club has posted a clip of an enormous tiger wandering the pitch without any sort of leash.

Fans speculated whether the clip was made using artificial intelligence, but it seemed to have the desired effect anyway with over a million-and-a-half views in hours.

Thankfully, before potentially encountering the beast, Roque passed his medical at Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper after arriving in town at 6am on Boxing Day.

Registered to start playing for the Spanish giants in January, he will undertake his first training session on December 29 in preparation for Barca's first match of 2024, a LaLiga trip to the Canary Islands to face Las Palmas on January 4.

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Despite Barcelona's dire financial situation, Roque joins an already-packed group of forwards.

However, high-salary stars Robert Lewandowski, Joao Felix, Ferran Torres and Raphinha have all struggled to impress this season, so Barca fans will be hoping he can get some game time and hit the ground running.

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