Joao Felix turned down 4 clubs including Manchester United and Liverpool to seal Barcelona transfer: Reports
Portuguese star Joao Felix reportedly turned down multiple offers to join Barcelona as per Football Espana. Those included a move to Manchester United or Liverpool, in favour of a move to Barcelona this summer.
Felix spectacularly fell out with Los Colchoneros manager Diego Simeone over his style of play. The player felt that Simeone's methods stifled his creative nature by putting too much defensive responsibility on him. As a result, he was allowed to leave the club on loan last winter. He joined a struggling Chelsea side, who then declined the option of signing him permanently.
Barcelona were his preferred choice since some time, with the player referring to the Blaugrana as his dream club. However, financial problems meant that the reigning La Liga champions could not move swiftly to sign him, causing other suitors to approach him with their offers.
Offers were in plentiful supply for the 23-year-old Portuguese star, including from Manchester United, Aston Villa and Liverpool in the Premier League, and Al-Hilal from Saudi Arabia. He chose, however, to wait for a move to Catalunya, which was concluded on the final day of the summer transfer window. He will earn only €400,000 throughout his spell with Barcelona, a significant reduction from his salary at Atletico.
Joao Felix has also made his debut for the club, coming off the bench as a replacement for Oriol Romeu in the 80th minute of their 2-1 win over Osasuna at the weekend. He had 13 touches of the ball, played five accurate passes including one in the final third, won three duels and made two tackles in the game.
Would Joao Felix have fit in better at Manchester United or does his profile fit best with Barcelona?
Joao Felix is a flair player who likes being left alone to float around the pitch and pick up the ball in advanced positions where he can hurt the opponent. His profile is not a direct fit for Manchester United, who prefer to play direct, transitional football. His pursuit may have been to provide variety in their squad due to his undeniable talent.
Barcelona and La Liga will enable Felix to be at his preternatural best, and he will be a perfect fit for the slick passing game employed by Xavi at the club. It will, however, be on him to replicate the form that saw Atletico Madrid pay Benfica big bucks (€127.2 million) to sign him as a 19-year-old.
A move to the La Liga champions seems to be the best for the Portugal international, and he will look to make his mark on the Catalan club this season. Joao Felix will be eager to prove his doubters wrong by performing at a high level for Xavi's side as they pursue domestic and European glory.