Rising Premier League giants Aston Villa are ramping up their efforts to sign 24-year-old Portuguese international Joao Felix from Atletico Madrid this summer.
According to a report by Spanish outlet SPORT, Joao Felix is the subject of interest from Aston Villa. The Villans have “taken a step forward” to sign the 24-year-old Atletico Madrid attacker in the summer transfer window. Meanwhile, the player has given a deadline to Barcelona to launch the offensive to secure his services as he wants to finalise his future this month.
The Joao Felix story
Joao Felix has blown hot and cold since leaving his boyhood club, Benfica, to join Atletico Madrid in a nine-figure deal in July 2019. The Portuguese international was one of the most highly sought-after players in the market before he moved to Civitas Metropolitano half a decade ago.
The 24-year-old made gradual progress in his first three seasons at Atletico Madrid. But things started souring between Diego Simeone and Felix in the first half of the 2022/23 season before Los Rojiblancos loaned him to Chelsea. The move was a dud, and Felix returned to Atletico Madrid last summer before sealing a deadline-day move to Barcelona.
Felix at Barcelona and what comes next?
The former Benfica prodigy turned out 44 times for Barcelona and contributed to 16 goals by finding the back of the net 10 times and providing six assists. While Joao Felix’s productivity dropped in the final few months of the 2023/24 season, he did enough to convince Barcelona to seek a permanent move this summer.
However, talks between Atletico Madrid and Barcelona have not progressed well, and the move has stalled. That has created a window of opportunity for other prospective suitors, including SL Benfica and Aston Villa. And recent reports have claimed that Joao Felix has been closing in on rejoining Benfica this summer.
Meanwhile, Aston Villa’s interest in Felix is understandable. The Villans have been busy in the market thus far this summer, signing five players. They have bolstered their attack by landing Samuel Iling-Junior. However, Aston Villa’s offensive recruitment has not stopped, with Felix a viable target. And they have stepped up their efforts to secure his services.
The report has claimed that the Villans have “taken a step forward” to sign the 24-year-old. Meanwhile, Felix has given Barcelona a deadline until the end of the month to try and secure his services. If that does not happen, a return to Benfica will likely materialise for the Portuguese international.
