Felix, who had a modest spell at Chelsea with only four goals in 20 appearances, is now contemplating his options for the 2023-24 season, with clubs from both England and Spain expressing interest in securing his services. While Chelsea declined the opportunity to re-sign him, other English clubs like Manchester United and Aston Villa have been linked with the Portuguese international, alongside La Liga champions Barcelona.
According to a recent report from journalist Fabrizio Romano, Felix has conveyed his desire to join Barcelona this summer, as it would fulfill his childhood dream of playing at Camp Nou. Despite having signed a new contract with Atletico until June 2027 in January, Spanish news outlet AS reports that the La Liga club has granted Felix permission to make the move to Barcelona this summer.
The potential deal is expected to involve an initial loan arrangement with an option or obligation for Barcelona to buy, given the financial constraints faced by the Catalan club.
Allegedly, Atletico and Barcelona had previously agreed on Felix's transfer in January 2022, but the deal fell through when Atletico decided against it. However, they now seem prepared to part ways with the talented attacker.
Felix's desire to join Barcelona has sparked discontent among Atletico fans, leading to an incident where a plaque of the forward outside the Wanda Metropolitano was vandalized on Wednesday. In 2019, Felix joined Atletico for a club-record fee of £114m from Benfica, being considered one of the most promising talents in world football at that time.
Despite initial high expectations, Felix has not reached the anticipated heights at the Wanda Metropolitano and has fallen down the pecking order under head coach Diego Simeone, starting only seven La Liga matches in the first half of the last season.
Throughout his time at Atletico, Felix has amassed 34 goals and 18 assists in 131 appearances across all competitions, while also contributing five goals in 31 international games for Portugal.
