Premier League side eye surprise move for Chelsea and Barcelona flop Joao Felix: Reports
According to reports from Spanish outlets SPORT and MARCA, Aston Villa are eyeing up a surprise move for Chelsea and Barcelona flop Joao Felix. The Portuguese forward has returned to his parent club, Atletico Madrid, after spending the 2023-24 campaign in Catalonia.
Atletico shocked the footballing world when they signed Felix for a whopping €127.2 million in 2019. At the time, he was touted as one of Europe's most promising attacking talents.
However, he struggled to establish and express himself in manager Diego Simeone's system, which focused more on structure and defensive stability. This would often lead to fall-outs between himself and the Argentine tactician.
When the situation got out of control, Felix was sent on a six-month loan to Chelsea in January 2023. He could not find his footing in London either, scoring just four goals in 20 appearances.
The forward spent the entirety of the 2023-24 campaign on loan at Barcelona. His spell ebbed and flowed from highs to lows, as he racked up 10 goals and six assists in 44 games across all competitions.
Despite returning to Atletico, Felix has no intentions to stay and wants out of the club before their 2024-25 pre-season preparations. Several top European sides, including Arsenal, Barcelona and Aston Villa are weighing up moves for the 24-year-old.
Villa were initially considering a loan move for the attacker. However, according to new reports from Sky Italy, they are willing to sell Colombian forward Jhon Duran to finance a permanent move.
Villa believe they can sell Duran for more than £25 million, amid interest from AC Milan and West Ham United. They would then re-invest that sum towards the reported £50 million fee which will be required to sign Felix.
Aston Villa closing in on the signing of another long-term Barcelona target
Premier League outfit Aston Villa have been extremely active in the summer transfer window. They have already completed the signing of five players, and are closing in on the signing of long-term Barcelona target Amadou Onana.
After leading Villa to a fourth-place finish in the 2023-24 Premier League season, Unai Emery is already overhauling the side ahead of their first Champions League campaign in 41 years.
The side have signed Ian Maatsen from Chelsea (€44.5 million), Lewis Dobbin from Everton (€11.8 million) and Ross Barkley from Luton (€5.9 million). They have also signed Enzo Barrenechea and Samuel Iling-Junior in a swap deal that sent midfielder Douglas Luiz to Juventus.
However, their biggest signing yet is set to be the 22-year-old Onana. The Belgian defensive midfielder, who is currently contracted to Everton, has been on Barcelona's wishlist for months.
According to Diario Sport, the Catalan giants considered offering multiple players in a swap deal, including Sergino Dest, Ansu Fati and Clement Lenglet (the latter was on loan at Villa in the 2023-24 season).
However, after the news of Onana's move to Villa emerged, Barca seemed to have dropped their interest in him. They will now reportedly focus their attention on signing priority target and Euro 2024 final goalscorer Nico Williams from Athletic Club.