What had been evident to the eyes for some time, was on Tuesday evening confirmed by Atletico Madrid CEO Miguel Angel Marin – Joao Felix wants to leave the club.
The 23-year-old has been in full flow at the World Cup for Portugal, exhibiting the full array of his talents, something that has been infrequent at Atleti. Certainly this season; Felix has not started a game since mid-September.
Several teams have been keeping an eye on Felix, as per Marca, without ever making further advances with their interest. Manchester United, Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain all looked into to him this summer.
However another Premier League side has emerged as a surprise option for Felix. Seemingly Aston Villa are already in negotiations with Los Colchoneros, with Jorge Mendes facilitating discussions.
Arriving at Atleti for a record €129m fee, it is not yet clear what the fee would be or how it would be structured. It seems doubtful that Villa would be willing to approach €100m for Felix.
This would also be a step down from Felix. It may be simply that he wishes to play regularly again, perhaps having a team built around him. Taking that into account, Villa manager Unai Emery also prioritises his system over the abilities of his players to a certain degree.
