Atletico Madrid have always been open to a departure for Joao Felix this summer, and the Portuguese star has made little secret of his desires to leave too. Now, the ball is in Barcelona’s court though.
After Felix declared that it would be a ‘dream’ to join Barcelona, Atletico Madrid were reportedly furious with him. Yet Fabrizio Romano explained that Barcelona would try to sign Jorge Mendes’ client this summer, although he equally told Cadena SER that right now, a deal was impossible.
🚨 Jorge Mendes is designing a plan for Barcelona to acquire João Félix on loan. Barça cannot afford a loan fee, but they hold a significant advantage due to Félix being a concern for Los Rojiblancos. @sport 🇵🇹 pic.twitter.com/o0NoHujwlm
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) July 19, 2023
He went on to say that the transfer window was long, and that in July, that situation could change. According to Relevo and Diario AS, Atletico Madrid have given the green light for the deal. The potential formula that would allow Barcelona to make a move for Felix is a loan deal with an option to buy Felix.
🚨| JUST IN: Atlético Madrid have given João Félix the go-ahead to move to Barcelona on loan with a buy option. 🇵🇹.
[🥇: @Manu_Sainz via @barcacentre]
— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) July 19, 2023
Whether Barcelona can actually afford to Felix’s salary, is a different question. There are no guarantees that he would be a starter for Barcelona, and with his salary in excess of €10m, he would not fit into the strict salary structure that Director of Football Mateu Alemany has implemented, and it may be that Los Colchoneros are forced to pay some of his wages to make a deal happen. Additionally, Barcelona are yet to register their new signings so far.
Given there is a willing from all parties, Barcelona President Joan Laporta is self-proclaimed fan of Felix, a deal is always possible. If it does happen, there will no doubt be some tough negotiations are ahead.
