According to an exclusive report from Tot Costa, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid are officially in contact over a possible loan move for Joao Felix. The deal would also contain a purchase option.
Felix, who spent the second half of the previous season on loan at Chelsea, has publicly admitted his desire to play for Barcelona, saying that donning the royal blue of Blaugrana has always been his dream.
“I would love to play for Barça. Barcelona has always been my first choice and I would love to join them,” he said. “It was always my dream since I was a kid. If it happens, it will be a dream come true for me.”
This has undoubtedly strained his relationship with the Atletico management even more, who are now more than willing to sell their young forward.
Barcelona are interested in signing Felix, even though the Portuguese international is not seen as a priority by Xavi Hernandez. Given that a permanent purchase would be out of their reach, a loan deal with a buy option is seen as the best avenue.
However, Atletico Madrid have imposed conditions on the same. For starters, the Blaugrana would have to pay the 23-year-old’s entire wages while they will also demand a loan fee which would be equivalent to the player’s amortisation cost. All in all, the figure could reach €25 million.
Alternatively, the report from Tot Costa claims that the likes of Ferran Torres and Franck Kessie are two options that the team from the capital city would accept as part of an exchange deal.
Interestingly enough, Torres and Kessie are already living on thin ice at Barça, with reports indicating that both of them could be sold in case of a good offer. And they could be used to make the Felix operation more feasible.
As things stand, La Liga have informed Atletico Madrid that Barcelona cannot go ahead with the deal for Felix due to the Financial Fair Play situation. But the Blaugrana could be in a position to make the transfer happen if they are able to offload a few players.
With formal talks now said to be taking place between the two clubs, a mutually beneficial agreement might be arrived at, given that Atletico are keen on offloading Felix while Barcelona and the player himself are keen on partnering up.