"Negotiations are underway" - Champions League side chief confirms they are in talks to sign Barcelona and Chelsea flop Joao Felix
Benfica president Rui Costa has confirmed that they are in talks to sign former Barcelona and Chelsea attacker Joao Felix. He admitted though that it is still early to make final assurances at this point.
Felix came from Benfica's academy before joining Atletico Madrid in 2019 for a massive fee of €127 million. He registered just 34 goals and 18 assists in 131 games before falling out with manager Diego Simeone. He then joined Chelsea on a six-month loan deal in January 2023 before joining Barcelona on a season-long loan last summer.
Felix scored 10 goals and provided six assists in 44 games for the Blaugrana. As per Barca Blaugranes, the Portuguese would like to move to the Spanish giants again but they are focused on bringing in Nico Williams and Dani Olmo.
Benfica president Rui Costa was recently asked if the club are working on signing Joao Felix and Renato Sanches. He answered:
“What we want are good players. All these names have been mere speculation in the press, it’s part of the current market situation.
"But negotiations are underway, Benfica’s squad will not remain as it is today. There will be departures, there will probably be arrivals, but it is too early at this point, although I understand the anxiety that the members have in knowing what squad we will have.
“But I guarantee that it will be extremely competitive to attack all fronts. We have already admitted that last year we fell short of what we wanted. Last year is over, we have to learn from what we didn’t do well and we have to look to the future. The only guarantee I can give is that we will have a super competitive team.”
Felix's contract with Atletico Madrid is set to expire in 2029 and he is highly likely to leave the club this summer.
Barcelona open to selling Chelsea target this summer: Reports
As per Sport (via The Hard Tackle), Barcelona are now open to selling Raphinha this summer. The Blaugrana are highly interested in signing Nico Williams from Athletic Club and also Dani Olmo from RB Leipzig. Hence, they are looking to make space in attack.
Chelsea were linked with a move for Raphinha in 2022 when he was set to leave Leeds United. However, he chose to join Barca, for whom he's made 87 appearances, scoring 20 goals and providing 25 assists.
The Brazilian made 37 appearances across competitions last season but saw Lamine Yamal become the undisputed starter on the right wing. Moreover, if Barcelona sign Nico Williams, Raphinha would struggle for regular playing time on either wing. The Blaugrana have set a €50 million asking price, with Chelsea interested.