Aston Villa have reportedly emerged as a possible destination for Atletico Madrid fringe star Joao Felix, and are very well positioned to pull off a shock swoop.
Aston Villa are leading the race to capture Portugal superstar Joao Felix and could pull off a shock transfer in January. That’s according to Spanish outlet MARCA, who claims the Villans are the latest club to join the chase to sign the wantaway Atletico Madrid star and have positioned themselves at the front of the queue to secure his signature despite rumoured interest from several major European powerhouses.
Felix was thought of as a future star player when he moved to Atletico from Benfica in a deal worth £113 million in 2019. After all, he won the 2019 Golden Boy award and arrived as a replacement for Antoine Griezmann who had been the team’s talisman for several years.
The Frenchman left Madrid for Barcelona, where he struggled for several years before coming back to Wanda Metropolitano and reclaiming his starting berth under manager Diego Simeone. However, Felix has made little progress over the years, and despite glimpses of brilliance, he has yet to deliver on his undeniable potential for a variety of reasons.
He hasn’t been able to become a regular starter for Simeone’s side throughout his time at the Spanish capital and has never scored more than 10 goals in any individual campaign. Los Rojiblancos apparently turned down a €130 million proposal from long-term admirers Manchester United in the last transfer window.
But things have gone from bad to worse for Felix since then, with the Portuguese attacker only starting five league fixtures this season, and the 23-year-old is thought to be considering a move due to his lack of playing time.
His deteriorating relationship with Diego Simeone has fueled transfer rumours even further, and Atletico are ready to evaluate any offers for the club’s record signing as they look to cut their losses.
This has opened the door to a mid-season exit and despite interest from Manchester United, Chelsea, Bayern Munich, and Paris Saint-Germain, it is Premier League mid-tablers Aston Villa who are the frontrunners in the race for Felix.
Per Marca, contacts have already been established between Villa and Atletico, with the player’s agent Jorge Mendes pushing to ensure that his client moves to Villa Park in January.
Should a deal materialize, It would represent a big statement of intent from Villa’s ambitious owners, who want Felix to become the face of their project under new boss Unai Emery.
While his time at the Rojiblancos hasn’t gone according to plan, Felix remains a world-class talent and could excel under a less pragmatic manager. He has been one of Portugal’s standout performers at the 2022 World Cup, and has been impressive, scoring one goal and provided two assists in three outings as Portugal put Switzerland to sword 6-1 in the World Cup last 16.
While Villa’s owners are ready to splash the cash in order to back their man Emery to stamp his mark on the squad and bring in a marquee name, signing someone of Felix’s calibre and demand is likely to be a bridge too far since convincing the player to move to Birmingham despite extensive European interest would be a tough sell.
