It was on deadline day last summer that Barcelona and Atletico Madrid worked out a loan transfer for Joao Felix to breathe life into the Portuguese winger’s career.
Over the course of the season, Felix impressed with seven goals and three assists in La Liga but was not consistent enough to warrant a permanent transfer at the fee Los Rojiblancos demanded.
Moreover, Barcelona’s economic situation meant that an agreement close to the €60 million mark was close to impossible, although they are now considering a loan move as reported by SPORT.
The prime contenders
As Barcelona appeared to be out of the race to sign Felix in recent weeks, Aston Villa and Benfica came up as prime contenders. Both clubs, however, have struggled to meet Atletico’s demands.
Diego Simeone’s side currently place a €60 million price tag for Felix and are not willing to go under the €45 million mark.
Barcelona again considering a loan move for Joao Felix. (Photo by PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA/AFP via Getty Images)
As revealed by the Spanish outlet, Benfica proposed to sign the player on loan with an option to make the move permanent for €30 million. Aston Villa, meanwhile, cannot offer beyond €32 million at present.
An agreement between Atletico Madrid and the two aforementioned clubs, therefore, appears complicated, with Barça now back in the picture.
Deja Vu?
With Barcelona now considering a loan move for Felix, it is well possible that the player returns to Catalonia later this summer if other options do not work out.
Such a move, however, can only arise in the final days of the market as Atletico Madrid would have to be under severe pressure to sell if they are to accept the Catalans’ terms.
It remains to be seen how the Portuguese star’s future pans out in the coming weeks. As it stands, however, he is training under Simeone’s command although there is no love lost between the two.
Source link : https://barcauniversal.com/barcelona-consider-loan-move-for-former-forward-face-competition-from-two-teams/
Author : Adithya Eshwarla
Publish date : 2024-08-09 18:08:13
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