"They will only get stronger" – Pundit tells Premier League club to sign Chelsea loanee Joao Felix to start challenging for trophies
Ex-West Ham United star Frank McAvennie has urged Aston Villa to sign Chelsea loanee Joao Felix this summer.
Felix, 23, is expected to seal a permanent move away from Atletico Madrid this summer after suffering a fallout with Diego Simeone earlier this year. However, he is not set to join the Stamford Bridge outfit at the end of his winter loan move.
Earlier last month, Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo confirmed that Felix will return to Spain. He told AS:
"Yesterday, we got the news that the new Chelsea head coach [Mauricio Pochettino] does not want to keep Felix. We have known for less than 24 hours. He'll come back here, and we'll see. We don't have anything planned."
Since then, the 30-cap Portugal international has drawn attention from Aston Villa, according to Football Insider.
Speaking to the above-mentioned publication, McAvennie shared his two cents on Villa's ambitions next campaign. He elaborated:
"Villa are going to make a real push next season with the players they are looking to sign right now. After seeing West Ham win the Europa Conference League, Villa can do the same and then qualify for the Europa League."
Backing Unai Emery's side to rope in Felix on a permanent basis in the upcoming summer, McAvennie continued:
"They are making all the right noises, they are a huge club and deserve to be up there with the big teams. So, it would not surprise me to see them challenging for trophies. Villa will only get stronger if they opt to sign Felix."
Felix, who is said to be valued at £86 million, scored four goals in 20 games during his six-month spell at Chelsea.
Overall, the Portuguese forward has netted 34 goals and laid out 18 assists in 131 matches for Atletico Madrid.
Chelsea told to dish out £52 million to sign Serie A goalkeeper: Reports
According to journalist Alfredo Pedulla, Inter Milan have asserted that they will not provide a discount to Chelsea in their transfer pursuit of Andre Onana. They are, however, interested in entertaining bids in the region of £52 million.
The Nerazzurri are unwilling to include any Chelsea star in a player-plus-cash deal for their shot-stopper, who guided them to their first UEFA Champions League final in 13 years. Meanwhile, they have expressed an interest in retaining Blues loanee Romelu Lukaku's services and roping in defender Trevoh Chalobah ahead of the 2023-24 campaign.
Onana, 27, has established himself as Inter's first-choice goalkeeper since arriving on a free switch from Ajax in 2022. So far, he has registered 19 clean sheets in 41 overall appearances for his club, conceding 36 goals in the process.