Aston Villa are interested in signing Joao Felix after Barcelona opted against signing the on-loan Atletico Madrid forward on a permanent basis.
Felix is free to leave Atletico after falling out of favour under Diego Simeone, with the 24-year-old having underwhelmed in the Spanish capital since his £113m club-record arrival from Benfica in 2019.
The Portugal international scored 10 goals in 44 appearances on loan at Barcelona last season, though the Catalan side are unable to afford Felix on a permanent deal. Felix spent the second half of the 2022-23 campaign on loan at Chelsea and scored four times in 16 Premier League appearances.
The Times are reporting that Aston Villa hold an interest in signing Felix this summer, though face competition from Benfica who have made a bid to bring the forward back to Lisbon.
Benfica have submitted a deal worth an initial €32.5m (£27.5m), a club record, with Atletico also entitled to 50% of the player’s future transfer rights. There would be performance-related clauses also included to increase that percentage for the Spanish side.
Barcelona are unable to match that proposal, though Villa could launch a rival bid as Unai Emery looks to bolster his squad ahead of the club’s Champions League campaign. Manchester United have previously expressed interest in Felix and are keen to sign a forward this summer.
