Despite their weak finances, FC Barcelona were able to make several additions to their team in the last summer transfer window. They not only got one of the best midfielders from Manchester City, i.e., Ilkay Gundogan, for free, but were also able to get Joao Cancelo and Joao Felix on loan on the last day of the window.
Gundogan and Cancelo played prominent roles in Barcelona’s campaign last season under Xavi. However, despite getting several chances, Felix was unable to retain his position in the starting lineup. Xavi, the former coach, did not initially prefer Felix but accepted his incorporation due to the lack of better options available in the market at that time.
Felix played 44 games for FC Barcelona last season, scoring 10 goals and giving 6 assists, but was relegated to the bench in the latter stages of the last campaign. Still, the Barcelona president, Joan Laporta, values him highly, and the Catalans are looking to retain him for another season on loan with the help of his agent, Jorge Mendes.
Furthermore, as SPORT has reported, the new Barcelona coach, Hansi Flick, also believes that he can help the Portuguese forward recover his form and perform at his best level, despite him not being trusted much by Xavi, and also not having a very prominent role in the Portuguese team in the UEFA EURO 2024.
Flick understands that Felix has enormous talent and is a very disruptive forward who can alter the course of a match with his performance. But he also believes that for the forward to do so, he needs to have the confidence of the coach, and Flick is ready to give him the continuity that he requires to shine.
But for all this to happen, Deco will first have to come to an agreement with Atletico Madrid. In this regard, the Barcelona Sporting Director believes the player’s will to play only at the Catalan club and his underwhelming EURO 2024 campaign can convince the Mattress Makers to allow him to spend another season on loan with them.
