One of the players that has been linked with FC Barcelona in the last one or two days is the Portuguese Joao Felix. However, an operation to bring him to the Catalan club would be extremely difficult.
According to Mundo Deportivo, Felix’s recent statements in which he expressed his childhood desire to play for the Blaugranes have not been received too well by Atletico Madrid. These statements have further worsened the situation of the player at the Wanda Metropolitano, where he was already unsettled.
As a result, the mattress-makers have decided not to facilitate a move of Felix’s desire in any way and would not budge from their valuation of the player. However, they also do not want a dysfunctional player in their squad, and there are multiple options that they can consider.
Firstly, they prefer a full transfer and would be open to letting the player leave if an offer of €80 million comes for him. However, no club is willing to offer such a price for a footballer who has failed to achieve anything significant in his last few years.
The Plan B for Atletico is to send Felix on another loan after he returned to Madrid from a loan with Chelsea. Barcelona comes onto the scene with such a possibility, as Laporta and Mendes are working on such an operation. An exchange of players like Kessie and Torres is also being considered, but Barcelona’s inability to register players might derail such an approach.
Even a loan move for the player would not be cheap, especially for Barcelona who are in the midst of a financial crisis. Chelsea paid €11 million for Felix for half a year, and Atletico want an even greater fee this year because it would be a loan for a full season.
Furthermore, Atletico would also not be taking on any part of the player’s salary, and Barcelona would have to pay both the loan fee and wages, which may take the entire cost of the operation to €20 million.
