Sources: purp0 set to join Barça eSports for the VCT 2027 season

Semyon “purp0” Borchev has reached a verbal agreement with Barça eSports for the VCT 2027 season, according to sources close to Sheep Esports. The Russian flex player previously played for Team Liquid and GIANTX in VCT EMEA, where he was benched by the former just before the start of Champions 2026.

purp0 was a bright spot for Team Liquid in VCT EMEA 2026 Stage 1 on flash Initiators like Skye. However, the transition to his original role, Duelist, was rough and saw him fall out of favor with the roster by the end of Stage 2, a decision fully cemented by the arrival of academy player Ognjen “GSR” Bondžić for Champions 2026.

purp0 has been a familiar name in VCT EMEA for the past few years. He had inconsistent performances with a GIANTX side that didn’t put up great results in 2024. By mid-2025, he was let go by the organization and joined Joblife, where he failed to make it to VCT Ascension, but Team Liquid picked him up for the 2026 season. He had a slow start to the year in the Initiator role, despite making it to Masters Santiago thanks to an impressive lower-bracket run in VCT EMEA Kickoff. However, he truly started to shine in Stage 1, where he was the team’s star player with a 1.05 rating. His aggressive playstyle on Skye was the standout factor in his gameplay.

Once veteran Initiator Nikita “trexx” Cherednichenko joined in Stage 2, purp0 returned to the Duelist role, where he didn’t look quite comfortable. His struggles continued throughout the stage, culminating in his benching despite a 2nd place finish. With Barça eSports expected to sign Duelist Mohammad “Pa1ze” Khatib, Yusuf Emre "Proxh" Tunc, and retain in-game leader Adolfo “Fit1nho” Gallego, purp0 could get the chance to shine once again in the Initiator/Flex role in the VCT 2027 season, in which partnered and non-partnered teams alike have a chance to qualify for international events.