Atletico Madrid have marked out the framework for a deal for Joao Felix to leave the club next summer already, with Barcelona moving numbers around to work out if they can hang onto to the Portuguese forward.
Felix, 23, has started his Barcelona career in fine form, with six goal contributions in eight matches since joining on loan from Atletico Madrid. He has made it clear he is content with life in Catalonia, and Barcelona, by all accounts are content with him.
Lurking over the other side of this season is how Sporting Director Deco might keep him. However the fact Barcelona are struggling to fit players into their salary limit means any deal will likely be difficult, with Vitor Roque’s €30m deal, potentially rising to €61m, also to accommodate.
According to Sport, Atletico Madrid are clear on their terms for any deal next season. Firstly, they are keen not to let negotiations extend into the final stages of transfer market, at which point moving him on became an imperative and weakened their position.
If Barcelona want to loan Felix, that will require a fee of around €10m and covering his full salary, believed to be around €8m per season on his deal until 2029 at the time of writing.
Should they want to sign Felix on a permanent deal, then it will cost the Blaugrana around €80m. This would involve three payments of around €26m. For Barcelona, the only realistic solution would be another loan with an option to buy of around €40m.
Los Colchoneros feel they got the short end of the deal this season due to Felix’s poor form and his determination to move to Barcelona. It looks as if there will have to be a significant movement in terms of compromise, and Felix will have to maintain his stance of only wanting to move to Barcelona.
Of course, these are starting points in any negotiations, but it does outline the tricky task ahead of Deco. A deal worth around €80m would only perhaps be possible for Barcelona on a Chelsea-style long-term contract. Meanwhile a loan could perhaps be achieved, but €15-20m for a single season of a player is a heavy investment with no return to come.
