Aston Villa will reportedly look to sign 23-year-old Portuguese international Joao Felix from La Liga club Atletico Madrid this summer.
According to a report by Spanish outlet Fichajes, Joao Felix is the subject of interest from Aston Villa. Unai Emery wants the Midlands club to sign the 23-year-old in the summer transfer window. And the player will likely leave Atletico Madrid once he returns from his loan stint with Chelsea.
Joao Felix has reached a crossroads in his career despite being only 23 years old. The Portuguese international was supposed to take the footballing world by storm when he completed a record move to Atletico Madrid. But Diego Simeone’s pragmatic tactics have stunted his growth in the last few years.
Things went from bad to worse after the World Cup break, and the 23-year-old joined Chelsea. But Felix’s spell with Chelsea was also sub-par, as he managed only four goals in 16 appearances. While the player was not bad per se, he was not bang for the buck. And Chelsea will not sign the young attacker permanently this summer. But Aston Villa will look to bring him back to the Premier League.
Unai Emery is an admirer of Felix’s abilities after watching him from close quarters during his stint in La Liga with Villarreal. And the Aston Villa manager also pushed the Midlands club to sign him in the January transfer window. While a winter move did not materialise, the Villans remain interested in him.
Aston Villa will enter the market for attacking reinforcement in the summer transfer window. And after showing their ambitions by appointing Unai Emery in October, the Villans are eager to push for a top-four finish next season. So signing players of Felix’s calibre will take them a long way in the coming years.
Felix’s market value might have fallen to €50 million due to his recent struggles. But the 23-year-old remains a highly-rated attacker in La Liga and beyond. But Atletico Madrid will likely demand more than his market value of €50 million to part ways with him.
Meanwhile, several high-profile clubs, including Barcelona, have ruled out signing Felix this summer. So Aston Villa will have a golden opportunity to prise the Portuguese international away from La Liga club Atletico Madrid ahead of the 2023/24 season. But it will be interesting to see if he is ready to move to Villa Park in the coming weeks.
