Barcelona and Atletico Madrid reportedly discussed a possible transfer of Portuguese forward Joao Felix during a meeting between the two clubs.
According to a report by Spanish publication AS, Miguel Angel Gil Marin and Mateu Alemany recently met to discuss the situation of Antoine Griezmann. During the same meeting, the Atletico Madrid CEO and the Barcelona director of football also spoke about the possibility of a transfer of Joao Felix.
Joao Felix joined Atletico Madrid from Benfica in a nine-figure deal in July 2019. The Portuguese international was widely regarded as one of the most promising young forwards in Europe, but he has only made gradual progress at the Wanda Metropolitano, with his performances not backed by returns.
The 22-year-old has a sub-par record of ten goals and six assists in 34 appearances across all competitions this term. But Felix remains highly rated at Atletico Madrid, while several high profile clubs across Europe, including Barcelona, are closely monitoring his situation at the Spanish club.
The interest from Barcelona is a tad bit surprising, considering Xavi Hernandez’s system does not have a position for Felix unless he plays exclusively as a striker. But Felix could be an option if the Barcelona manager continues to use the 4-2-3-1 he has employed recently.
Nonetheless, it looks like the Catalan giants are keen on signing Felix, with their director of football Mateu Alemany recently discussing a possible transfer for the 22-year-old forward during a meeting with Atletico Madrid CEO Miguel Angel Gil Marin.
The purpose of the meeting was to discuss Antoine Griezmann’s situation. Recent reports suggested that Atletico Madrid could pay €40 million to re-sign the Frenchman permanently from Barcelona. Other suggestions have pointed towards a possible swap deal involving Griezmann and Alvaro Morata.
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The report states that Felix is Joan Laporta’s “forbidden dream”, which makes sense, considering the Portuguese forward will likely cost a bomb even if Barcelona can convince Atletico Madrid to part with him. With the Blaugrana not in a position to invest heavily in players amid uncertainties surrounding the future of Frenkie de Jong, a move for Felix seems unlikely, despite the discussions between Marin and Alemany.
