Aston Villa will reportedly look to beat Barcelona to the signature of Atletico Madrid outcast Joao Felix in a deal worth over £50 million.
According to a report by Graeme Bailey on HITC, Joao Felix is the subject of interest from Aston Villa. The Atletico Madrid outcast is also a target for Barcelona heading into the final month of the summer transfer window. However, the Villans are ready to beat the competition by paying more than £50 million and making the Portuguese international their highest-paid player.
The Joao Felix story
Joao Felix would have hoped to blossom into one of the best players in the world after joining Atletico Madrid from SL Benfica in a big-money deal in July 2019. While the player showed his potential on some occasions, he has not lived up to the hype, with his bust-up with Diego Simeone bringing his career to a grinding halt.
Felix first temporarily left Atletico Madrid by joining Chelsea in January 2023 before Barcelona snapped him on a season-long deal last summer. The 24-year-old was solid for Barcelona in the 2023/24 season, chipping in with ten goals and six assists in 44 appearances across all competitions.
However, the Portuguese international faces an uncertain future at Atletico Madrid after returning from Barcelona, with the Blaugrana struggling to raise the funds to sign him. However, Joao Felix’s situation has alerted several well-known clubs across Europe, including Aston Villa.
What next for Felix?
Aston Villa’s interest in Joao Felix is understandable. The Villans are keen on bolstering their attack in the summer transfer window amid uncertainties surrounding the long-term future of Jhon Duran. The former Barcelona loanee can be the ideal foil to Ollie Watkins at Aston Villa. The latest update has revealed the possibility of a bid worth over £50 million.
In addition, Aston Villa will happily make the Portuguese international the club’s highest-paid player by offering him £150,000-a-week wages. That can be a deal-breaker, considering Joao Felix’s current contract at Atletico Madrid has £250,000-a-week term. Meanwhile, it is unclear if Barcelona can rival a bid worth over £50 million.
That might give Aston Villa an advantage, even though offering £150,000-a-week wages might not appeal to him. It will be interesting to see if the 24-year-old is ready to join Aston Villa if Barcelona cannot afford a move to secure his services.
